Dining after Death?

In the ancient world banquets were often seen on funerary monuments – but did they represent scenes that had once been enjoyed, or feasts yet to come

Bird-women on the Harpy Monument from Xanthos, Lycia: sirens or harpies?

The initial identification of the bird-women on the Harpy Monument as the eponymous 'harpies' has long been superseded by the identification of the creatures as sirens. The small figures they are shown carrying have often been seen as eidola or souls of the deceased. This in turn has led to the idea that one of the functions of sirens was to transport the souls of the deceased to the afterlife. However, there is every reason to believe that the images show an abduction image, related to contemporary images of sphinxes carrying off young males. It is unusual in that the figures they abduct are female, and in this the images actually do recall the legend of the harpies abducting the daughters of Pandareos, which led to the initial naming of the tomb. Although they may not be adequately labelled as 'harpies' or 'sirens', their role as shown here is closer to the former than the latter

Uptake of magnesium and other fertilizer elements by sugar beet grown on sandy soils

RESP-641

Effects of nitrogen fertilizer, plant population and irrigation on sugar beet: III. Water consumption

RESP-636

The effects of magnesium fertilizers on yield and chemical composition of sugar beet

RESP-594

The relationship between exchangeable soil magnesium and response by sugar beet to magnesium sulphate

RESP-623

Comparisons of kieserite and calcined magnesite for sugar beet grown on sandy soils

RESP-667

Pregnancy outcomes following different types of bariatric surgery: A national cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of type of bariatric surgery on pregnancy outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: This is a national prospective observational study using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS). Data collection was undertaken in 200 consultant-led NHS maternity units between November 2011 and October 2012 (gastric banding), and April 2014 and March 2016 (gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy). Participants were pregnant women following gastric banding (n = 127), gastric bypass (n = 134) and sleeve gastrectomy (n = 29). Maternal and perinatal outcomes were compared using generalised linear and linear mixed models. Maternal outcomes included gestational weight gain, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, anaemia, surgical complications. Perinatal outcomes included birthweight, small/large for gestational age (SGA/LGA), preterm birth, stillbirth. RESULTS: Maternal: Women pregnant after gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy had a lower risk of anaemia compared with gastric bypass (banding (16 %) vs bypass (39 %): p = 0.002, sleeve (21 %) vs bypass: p = 0.04). Gestational diabetes risk was lower after gastric banding compared with gastric bypass (7 % vs 16 %, p = 0.03) despite women with banding having significantly greater weight at booking as well as gestational weight gain. Women pregnant after gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy had a lower risk of surgical complications than after gastric bypass (banding (0.9 %) vs bypass (11.4 %): p = 0.03, sleeve (0.0 %) vs bypass: p = 0.06). Perinatal: Infants born to mothers after gastric banding had a higher birthweight than those born to mothers after gastric bypass (mean difference = 260 g (125-395), p < 0.001). Infants were more likely to be LGA if their mothers had gastric banding compared with gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy (banding (21 %) vs bypass (5 %): p = 0.006; banding vs sleeve (3 %): p = 0.03). Risk of preterm birth was higher in women with gastric banding compared with gastric bypass (13 % vs 8 %, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Women planning bariatric surgery should be counselled regarding the differing impacts of different types of procedure on any future pregnancy. Pre-existing gastric bypass is associated with higher rates of potentially serious surgical complications during pregnancy

Mentalizing in first-episode psychosis: Correlates with symptomatology and traits of borderline personality disorder

Aim: To explore the associations between mentalizing, positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, and traits of borderline personality disorder, in a sample of patients with first-episode psychosis, and in a non-clinical sample. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. Thirty-two adults with first-episode psychosis and 148 non-clinical participants were assessed using the reflective functioning questionnaire. The questionnaire measures two dimensions of mentalizing, certainty and uncertainty about mental states. Traits of borderline personality disorder and symptoms of psychosis were measured using the self-report version of the Zanarini rating scale, the Community Assessment of Psychotic Experiences, and the Green et al., paranoid thought scale. Results: Patients with first-episode psychosis reported increased mentalizing impairments, characterized as hypomentalizing tendencies, compared to the non-clinical group. Regression analysis showed significant associations between higher scores on the uncertainty about mental states scale and negative symptoms of psychosis in both groups. No associations were found between mentalizing impairments and traits of borderline personality disorder in the clinical sample, although associations were found in the non-clinical sample. Conclusions: The present findings suggests that impairments in mentalizing may be associated with negative symptoms of psychosis across both clinical and non-clinical samples. Mentalizing impairments was found to be associated with traits of borderline personality disorder, but this finding was only confirmed in the non-clinical sample. Mentalizing should therefore be considered in the early assessment and treatment of patients experiencing difficulties with negative symptoms of psychosis