Blessed Heroes: Apollonius' Argonautica and the Homeric Hymns

This dissertation centers on Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica. My study expands the scope of more than a century of scholarship on Apollonius’ Homeric reception by exploring his engagement with the understudied but crucial model of the Homeric Hymns. Through a series of close readings informed by the theories of intertextuality and narratology, I reveal Apollonius’ poetic strategy of uniting the two streams of the Homeric hexameter tradition, the epics and hymns, into one innovative package, an epic hymn in honor of the Argonauts in their capacity as both mortal and divinized heroes. I argue that for Apollonius, the Homeric Hymns stood alongside the Iliad and Odyssey as an indispensable part of his Homeric inheritance and an equally authorizing model for his innovative poem. Part I of this study explores the Argonautica’s generic affiliations. Chapter 1 scrutinizes its beginning and ending, which, I argue, frame the poem as a hymn dedicated to the Argonauts as divinized cult heroes. Chapter 2 delves further into the poem’s portrayal of hero cult, which, my analysis shows, serves an important metapoetic function: the poem’s generic hybridity as an “epic hymn” is facilitated by the ambivalence of the Greek concept of the hero, who is at once the subject of epic memorializing and the object of religious veneration in cult, including in hymns. Part II of this study is narratological in nature, investigating the hymnic dimension of Apollonius’ complex narratorial persona. Chapter 3 focuses on narratorial techniques, such as overt intrusions into the narrative or loud displays of piety, that find “Homeric” precedent not in the Homeric epics, but in the Homeric Hymns. Chapter 4 examines instances of hymnody within Apollonius’ epic narrative. I detail the Apollonian narrator’s marked tendency to blend his own voice with that of his characters when they are invoking deities, thereby creating the impression that he is himself enthusiastically joining in his characters’ prayer or worship. I conclude by identifying avenues for future research and by reflecting on the significance of my study for two larger topics in Apollonian studies: the Argonautica’s fraught portrayal of heroism and its contextualization in Ptolemaic Egypt.Doctor of Philosoph

2011 Wild Blueberry Project Reports

The 2011 edition of the Wild Blueberry Project Reports was prepared for the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine and the Wild Blueberry Advisory Committee by researchers at the University of Maine, Orono. Projects in this report include: 1. Mechanisms through which wild blueberries affect functional characteristics of the arterial wall related to endothelial dysfunction in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats 2. Do wild blueberries affect high blood lipids, high blood glucose and obesity as related to the Metabolic Syndrome? 3. Control tactics for blueberry pest insects, 2011 4. IPM strategies, 2011 5. Biology and ecology of pest insects, 2011 6. Biology and ecology of beneficial insects, 2011 7. Pesticide residues on lowbush blueberry, 2011 8. Maine wild blueberry –mummy berry research and extension 9. Valdensinia leaf spot – Education, control and research – 2011 10. Effect of soil pH on nutrient uptake 11. Evaluation of several growth regulators for stimulating lowbush blueberry rhizome production 12. Evaluation of the effects of Gypsum (CaSO4) on wild blueberry fruit Ca concentration 13. Fall application of tribenuron methyl for bunchberry control in wild blueberries, 2009-2011 – effects of fall versus spring pruning on cover and yield in the crop year (final report) 14. Wild Blueberry Extension Education Program in 2011 INPUT SYSTEMS STUDY: 15. Systems approach to improving the sustainability of wild blueberry production, Year 2 of a four-year study – experimental design 16. The effects of different agronomic practices on the composition and quality of wild blueberries 17. Systems approach to improving the sustainability of wild blueberry production, Year 2 of a four-year study, blueberry quality from the first harvest year 18. Food safety- Prevalence study of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. on lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) 19. Abundance of insect pest species and natural enemies in lowbush blueberry fields maintained under different management practices 20. Systems approach to improving the sustainability of wild blueberry production, Year 2 of a four-year study, disease management results 21. Systems approach to improving the sustainability of wild blueberry production, Year 2 of a four-year study, weed management results 22. Systems approach to improving sustainability of wild blueberry production, Year 1 of a four-year study, preliminary soil health and chemistry results 23. Management effects on the phosphorus chemistry of wild blueberry barrens soil 24. Systems approach to improving the sustainability of wild blueberry production, preliminary economic comparison 2010-2011 25. Transition to organic production Year 2: Evaluation of gypsum and bone char 26. The effect of field management, forest edge composition, and field location on insect-mediated ecosystem services (scavenging/predation) (ancillary study) 27. Pre-emergent combinations of herbicides for weed control in wild blueberry fields (ancillary study) 28. Systems approach to improving the sustainability of wild blueberry production – Ancillary land-leveling study, year 1 (ancillary study) 29. Effects of compost and mulch on soil health and soil nutrient dynamics in wild blueberry (ancillary study

Acoustics and oceanographic observations collected during the QPE Experiment by Research Vessels OR1, OR2 and OR3 in the East China Sea in the Summer of 2009

This document describes data, sensors, and other useful information pertaining to the ONR sponsored QPE field program to quantify, predict and exploit uncertainty in observations and prediction of sound propagation. This experiment was a joint operation between Taiwanese and U.S. researchers to measure and assess uncertainty of predictions of acoustic transmission loss and ambient noise, and to observe the physical oceanography and geology that are necessary to improve their predictability. This work was performed over the continental shelf and slope northeast of Taiwan at two sites: one that was a relatively flat, homogeneous shelf region and a more complex geological site just shoreward of the shelfbreak that was influenced by the proximity of the Kuroshio Current. Environmental moorings and ADCP moorings were deployed and a shipboard SeaSoar vehicle was used to measure environmental spatial structure. In addition, multiple bottom moored receivers and a horizontal hydrophone array were deployed to sample transmission loss from a mobile source and ambient noise. The acoustic sensors, environmental sensors, shipboard resources, and experiment design, and their data, are presented and described in this technical report.Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under Contract No. N00014-08-1-076

A Draft Genome of \u3ci\u3eYersinia Pestis\u3c/i\u3e From Victims of the Black Death

Technological advances in DNA recovery and sequencing have drastically expanded the scope of genetic analyses of ancient specimens to the extent that full genomic investigations are now feasible and are quickly becoming standard1. This trend has important implications for infectious disease research because genomic data from ancient microbes may help to elucidate mechanisms of pathogen evolution and adaptation for emerging and re-emerging infections. Here we report a reconstructed ancient genome of Yersinia pestis at 30-fold average coverage from Black Death victims securely dated to episodes of pestilence-associated mortality in London, England, 1348–1350. Genetic architecture and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the ancient organism is ancestral to most extant strains and sits very close to the ancestral node of all Y. pestis commonly associated with human infection. Temporal estimates suggest that the Black Death of 1347–1351 was the main historical event responsible for the introduction and widespread dissemination of the ancestor to all currently circulating Y. pestis strains pathogenic to humans, and further indicates that contemporary Y. pestis epidemics have their origins in the medieval era. Comparisons against modern genomes reveal no unique derived positions in the medieval organism, indicating that the perceived increased virulence of the disease during the Black Death may not have been due to bacterial phenotype. These findings support the notion that factors other than microbial genetics, such as environment, vector dynamics and host susceptibility, should be at the forefront of epidemiological discussions regarding emerging Y. pestis infections

Health, education, and social care provision after diagnosis of childhood visual disability

Aim: To investigate the health, education, and social care provision for children newly diagnosed with visual disability.Method: This was a national prospective study, the British Childhood Visual Impairment and Blindness Study 2 (BCVIS2), ascertaining new diagnoses of visual impairment or severe visual impairment and blindness (SVIBL), or equivalent vi-sion. Data collection was performed by managing clinicians up to 1-year follow-up, and included health and developmental needs, and health, education, and social care provision.Results: BCVIS2 identified 784 children newly diagnosed with visual impairment/SVIBL (313 with visual impairment, 471 with SVIBL). Most children had associated systemic disorders (559 [71%], 167 [54%] with visual impairment, and 392 [84%] with SVIBL). Care from multidisciplinary teams was provided for 549 children (70%). Two-thirds (515) had not received an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). Fewer children with visual impairment had seen a specialist teacher (SVIBL 35%, visual impairment 28%, χ2p < 0.001), or had an EHCP (11% vs 7%, χ2p < 0 . 01).Interpretation: Families need additional support from managing clinicians to access recommended complex interventions such as the use of multidisciplinary teams and educational support. This need is pressing, as the population of children with visual impairment/SVIBL is expected to grow in size and complexity.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field

The Australian National Rabbit Database: 50 yr of population monitoring of an invasive species

Abstract With ongoing introductions into Australia since the 1700s, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has become one of the most widely distributed and abundant vertebrate pests, adversely impacting Australia's biodiversity and agro-economy. To better understand the population and range dynamics of the species and its impacts, occurrence and abundance data have been collected by researchers and citizens from sites covering a broad spectrum of climatic and environmental conditions in Australia. The lack of a common and accessible repository for these data has, however, limited their use in determining important spatiotemporal drivers of the structure and dynamics of the geographical range of rabbits in Australia. To meet this need, we created the Australian National Rabbit Database which combines more than 50 years of historical and contemporary survey data collected from throughout the range of the species in Australia. The survey data, obtained from a suite of complementary monitoring methods, were combined with high-resolution weather, climate and environmental information, and an assessment of data quality. The database provides records of rabbit occurrence (689,265 records) and abundance (51,241 records, > 120 distinct sites) suitable for identifying the spatiotemporal drivers of the rabbit's distribution and for determining spatial patterns of variation in its key life history traits, including maximum rates of population growth. Since all data are georeferenced and date stamped, they can be coupled with information from other databases and spatial layers to explore the potential effects of rabbit occurrence and abundance on Australia's native wildlife and agricultural production. The Australian National Rabbit Database is an important tool for understanding and managing the European rabbit in its invasive range and its effects on native biodiversity and agricultural production. It also provides a valuable resource for addressing questions related to the biology, success, and impacts of invasive species more generally. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of this Data Paper. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved