William Blake's visions and the Unio Artistica

To Blake art was a vision of the spiritual world, as he could talk about "Poetry, Painting & Music, the three Powers in Man of conversing with Paradise, which the flood did not Sweep away." Every work of art is an open window into eternity. God appears to man in art. Artistic inspiration is the same as the union with God. There is an unio artistica, a sister to the unio mystica. Blake accepts that reason cannot grasp the divine vision and understand it. That is why he always talks of the vision as appearing in stronger and better lineaments, and a stronger and better light than nature can produce or mortal and perishing organs can apprehend. But art can grasp it. The central conception of mysticism, the undescribable unio mystica, is present in Blake. He is a mystic. The only difference between Blake and the classical mystics is in terminology. When they say "God" Blake very often says "Art"

Om innehåll och utehåll i bilder

Title: About content and ‘extent’ in picturesDespite the criticism levelled at it over the years, it is difficult to imagine a better tool for interpreting the meaning of images than Erwin Panofsky’s iconographic-iconological method. However, it is far from infallible. Above all, one tends, like Panofsky himself, to equate the results of interpretation with the content of the image (“intrinsic meaning or content”). But the meaning of an image is not synonymous with its content. Only that part of its meaning visible to the viewer can be described as content, the rest is added by the viewer in the interpretation process. The meaning of most images is actually inaccessible to pure observation. To denote those aspects of an image that are not included in the work but which reside only in the viewer’s head, the term ‘extent’ (Swedish: ‘utehåll’) is introduced, i.e. something that changes with time, place, culture and prior knowledge. The article illustrates the consequences of not distinguishing between what can actually be seen in images and what the viewer brings to them. It concludes with a critical examination of Panofsky’s own interpretation of Michelangelo’s Moses in S. Pietro in Vincoli

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Enhances Nickel Penetration Through Guinea-Pig Skin. Studies with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis

The effect of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), a common ingredient of detergents, on the penetration of nickel through the stratum corneum in the guinea-pig skin model was studied with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis ( EDX) to evaluate the barrier-damaging properties of this common detergent. The EDX technique allows a simultaneous determination of physiologically important elements, e.g., Na. Mg, P, Cl, K, Ca and S in addition to Ni at each point of measurement in epidermal cell strata. Our results show that SLS reduces the barrier function to Ni-ion penetration of the stratum corneum. In addition we have shown that EDX allows analysis of the influence of different factors involved in nickel penetration through the skin by giving data on the physiological effects on the epidermal cells caused by the applied substances

Ædiculan i Lunds domkyrkas norra transept. En undersökning av skulpturen och dess bemålning

Many authors have considered Lund cathedral, its mediaeval history and its sculptures, sometimes at considerable length. From an iconographical point of view, however, much of the earliest phases of the building’s construction and the sculptural programme still remain obscure. Hardly any of the early mediaeval sculptures can be found today in the places for which they were initially intended, and the original context of many of them seems to be irretrievably lost. Through the centuries, countless individual artworks have been destroyed and sculpture groups dismembered, sometimes for inclusion in new constellations. A good example of such an assortment is the aedicule in front of the northern transept’s eastern chapel. It consists of a number of elements, produced by different hands or workshops, that have at some moment in time been assembled to form the present assemblage. Various dates, chronologies and positions have been proposed for its different components, but so far none that are really convincing. This article presents the results of a study of the painted relief decorations on the canopy and the adjacent chapel – and also contains photographic documentation of its various components. The findings are compared and discussed in relation to previous research

Recent Advances in X-Ray Microanalysis in Dermatology

Electron microprobe and proton microprobe X-ray analysis can be used in several areas of dermatological research. With a proton probe, the distribution of trace elements in human hair can be determined. In contrast to sulfur, which is homogeneously distributed, calcium, iron, and zinc appear to be non-homogeneously distributed over the hair cross-section. Electron microprobe analysis on freeze-dried cryosections of guinea-pig and human epidermis shows a marked gradient of Na, P and K over the stratum granulosum. In sections of freeze-substituted human skin this gradient is less steep. This difference is likely to be due to a decrease in water content of the epidermis towards the stratum corneum. Electron microprobe analysis of the epidermis can, for analysis of trace elements, be complemented by the proton microprobe. Quantitative agreement between the two techniques can be obtained by the use of a standard. Proton micro probe analysis was used to determine the distribution of Ni or Cr in human epidermis exposed to nickel or chromate ions. Possible differences in water content between the stratum corneum of patients with atopic eczema and normal stratum corneum was investigated in skin freeze- substituted with Br-doped resin. No significant differences were observed. Proliferative reactions in the epidermis appear to be associated with increased levels of the elements P and K. Such changes were found in guinea-pig skin after exposure to sodium lauryl sulfate, and in plaques of skin from patients with psoriasis

Acceptance of a Nordic, Protein-Reduced Diet for Young Children during Complementary Feeding—A Randomized Controlled Trial

Early life is critical for developing healthy eating patterns. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a Nordic, protein-reduced complementary diet (ND) compared to a diet following the current Swedish dietary guidelines on eating patterns and food acceptance. At 4–6 months (mo) of age infants were randomized to a Nordic group (NG, n = 41) or a Conventional group (CG, n = 40), and followed until 18 mo of age. Daily intake of fruits and vegetables (mean ± sd) at 12 mo was significantly higher in the NG compared to the CG: 341 ± 108 g/day vs. 220 ± 76 g/day (p < 0.001), respectively. From 12 to 18 mo, fruit and vegetable intake decreased, but the NG still consumed 32% more compared to the CG: 254 ± 99 g/day vs. 193 ± 67 g/day (p = 0.004). To assess food acceptance, both groups were tested with home exposure meals at 12 and 18 mo. No group differences in acceptance were found. We find that a ND with parental education initiates healthy eating patterns during infancy, but that the exposure meal used in the present study was insufficient to detect major differences in food acceptance. This is most likely explained by the preparation of the meal. Nordic produce offers high environmental sustainability and favorable taste composition to establish healthy food preferences during this sensitive period of early life

Acceptance of a Nordic, Protein-Reduced Diet for Young Children during Complementary Feeding—A Randomized Controlled Trial

Early life is critical for developing healthy eating patterns. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a Nordic, protein-reduced complementary diet (ND) compared to a diet following the current Swedish dietary guidelines on eating patterns and food acceptance. At 4–6 months (mo) of age infants were randomized to a Nordic group (NG, n = 41) or a Conventional group (CG, n = 40), and followed until 18 mo of age. Daily intake of fruits and vegetables (mean ± sd) at 12 mo was significantly higher in the NG compared to the CG: 341 ± 108 g/day vs. 220 ± 76 g/day (p < 0.001), respectively. From 12 to 18 mo, fruit and vegetable intake decreased, but the NG still consumed 32% more compared to the CG: 254 ± 99 g/day vs. 193 ± 67 g/day (p = 0.004). To assess food acceptance, both groups were tested with home exposure meals at 12 and 18 mo. No group differences in acceptance were found. We find that a ND with parental education initiates healthy eating patterns during infancy, but that the exposure meal used in the present study was insufficient to detect major differences in food acceptance. This is most likely explained by the preparation of the meal. Nordic produce offers high environmental sustainability and favorable taste composition to establish healthy food preferences during this sensitive period of early life

Health-related quality of life is related to COPD disease severity

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between health-related quality of life (HRQL) and disease severity using lung function measures. METHODS: A survey was performed in subjects with COPD in Sweden. 168 subjects (70 women, mean age 64.3 years) completed the generic HRQL questionnaire, the Short Form 36 (SF-36), the disease-specific HRQL questionnaire; the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and the utility measure, the EQ-5D. The subjects were divided into four severity groups according to FEV(1 )per cent of predicted normal using two clinical guidelines: GOLD and BTS. Age, gender, smoking status and socio-economic group were regarded as confounders. RESULTS: The COPD severity grades affected the SGRQ Total scores, varying from 25 to 53 (GOLD p = 0.0005) and from 25 to 45 (BTS p = 0.0023). The scores for SF-36 Physical were significantly associated with COPD severity (GOLD p = 0.0059, BTS p = 0.032). No significant association were noticed for the SF-36, Mental Component Summary scores and COPD severity. Scores for EQ-5D VAS varied from 73 to 37 (GOLD I-IV p = 0.0001) and from 73 to 50 (BTS 0-III p = 0.0007). The SGRQ Total score was significant between age groups (p = 0.0047). No significant differences in HRQL with regard to gender, smoking status or socio-economic group were noticed. CONCLUSION: The results show that HRQL in COPD deteriorates with disease severity and with age. These data show a relationship between HRQL and disease severity obtained by lung function