“Knowledge is a Lamp to Lighten His Path”: Investigating Melville’s Marginalia to Schopenhauer

Herman Melville’s self-education, extensive library, and voracious close reading, including his inscription of markings and annotations within these books, has been documented and known for decades. However, scholarly treatment of this marginalia varies in its extensiveness. Scholarship specific to Melville’s final months of dedicated reading and markings in his seven volumes of German Pessimist philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer is both sporadic and underdeveloped. Encoding in Extensible Markup Language (XML) of marginalia to these volumes has allowed for the parsing of marginalia data through data visualization in the form of frequency tables, graphs, and word clouds. Analysis of parsed and visualized data alongside crafted prose presents new opportunities for understanding larger marking patterns across volumes as well as close inspection of recurrent themes across marginalia and prose. This approach shines new light on philosophical overlap and contrasts present in the prose Melville composed concurrently to his reading, yet left unfinished upon his death: Billy Budd, a Sailor

Missed Connections: Hypertext and Book History

Hypertext technologies and methodologies underpin much of our modern communications infrastructure. Whether we approach Hypertext as non-sequential writing that branches and allows choices to the reader, or as a body of written or pictorial material interconnected in such a complex way that it could not conveniently be represented on paper (Nelson), thinking in Hypertext has become a ubiquitous part of our reading and publishing lives. Initially framed against the printed work - the selectiveness of book publishing (Bolter); engendered notions of authorial property (Landow); the comparative instability of the object (Delany) - Hypertext is better understood as a sibling category, generative of new ways of thinking, new opportunities, new threats. “Computers are not intrinsically involved with the hypertext concept,” clarified Nelson, citing the magazine as an example, and suggesting that hypertext has never lived up to its inventive potential. Employing a series of case studies, this panel investigates the manner in which Hypertext as approach has influenced our perspectives onapproach to book history and may continue to challenge it: in the webcomics publishing circuit, in communities of practice among queer authors of interactive fiction, in our reading of transmedia memory, in digital scholarly editions, and in wider studies of the book

Correlation Analysis between Antibiotic Resistance Gene Profile and Susceptibility to Gentamicin, Clindamycin, and Minocycline in Clinically Isolated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

This study aimed to elucidate retrospectively the correlations between the genome and phenotype in clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) gentamicin (GEN), clindamycin (CLI), and minocycline (MIN) susceptibility using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Ninety two MRSA strains were isolated from individual inpatients treated in Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan, extracted for their genomic DNA, and sequenced using an Illumina® MiSeq sequencer to obtain their de novo whole-genome assembly. An in silico analysis using ResFinder was performed to obtain the genomic antimicrobial susceptibility profile which was analyzed together with GEN, CLI, and MIN minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) levels. This study found aac(6’)aph(2”)+, spc+, ermA+, tetM+ MRSA strains were predominant (42/92) and were shown to exhibit >16 mg/L GEN (40/42), >4 mg/L CLI (26/42), and >8 mg/L MIN MIC levels (30/42). Associations between aac(6’)aph(2”) detections and GEN MIC levels (p <0.001), ermA detections and CLI MIC levels (p <0.001), and tetM detections and MIN MIC levels (p <0.001) were revealed in this study. Correlations between simultaneous detections of aac(6’) aph(2”)-spc-ermA-tetM and GEN MIC levels (φc= 0.398, p <0.001), CLI MIC levels (φc= 0.448, p <0.001), and MIN MIC levels (φc= 0.515, p <0.001) were revealed in this study. The genomicphenotypic correlation analyses in this study provided an insight of a rapid antimicrobial detection in MRSA using in silico genomic antimicrobial susceptibility profiling.This research was partially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (No.15H02567) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology and those from Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of the Government of Japan

Effects of Different Types of Dietary Fibers on Fermentation by Intestinal Flora

Purpose: A treatment for chronic constipation is dietary fiber intake. This study aimed to determine the effects of different types of dietary fibers on the microbiota in the large intestine. Methods: Nine healthy volunteers participated in this study. Breath hydrogen test was used to determine the dietary fiber fermentations. The presence of hydrogen in the breath indicates intestinal bacterial activities. Participants fasted overnight and ate white bread (200 g) with 10 g of each type of dietary fiber: (1) cellulose, (2) soy fiber, (3) guar gum, and (4) control (without any dietary fiber). Samples were collected before and every 1 hour after eating, for 8 h. Another test compared the effects between cellulose and guar gum with a loaded food, which activates intestinal fermentation, and samples were collected using the same methods. Results: During 8 h of measurements, breath hydrogen concentration in the soy fiber group were higher than that of the control, but were not significantly different. Changes in the guar gum group were similar to those in the control. However, breath hydrogen concentrations in the cellulose group did not increase even after eating white bread that caused large intestinal fermentation 2.9 ± 0.7 ppm, which was significantly lower than that of the guar gum group (7.4 ± 1.7 ppm, p < 0.01). In the study with a well-fermented food intake, cellulose reduced breath hydrogen concentrations, but its difference with that of the guar gum group was statistically non-significant. Conclusion: Cellulose might have a suppressive effect on large intestinal fermentation. Therefore, this compound may be beneficial in treating chronic constipation

Accuracy management survey of nucleic acid amplification tests using inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in Hiroshima Prefecture

At the beginning of 2020, the number of laboratories performing SARS-CoV-2 testing increased with the rapid expansion of COVID-19 in Hiroshima Prefecture. Thus, it is necessary to compare and verify the validity of the test results among local laboratories. In this study, we distributed the same standard samples to laboratories that performed COVID-19 testing using the nucleic acid amplification method and confirmed the accuracy of the tests. The SARS-CoV-2 strain distributed by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Japan, was used for testing. As measured by RT-qPCR, a specific amount of the virus was inactivated by ethanol and dried as specimens for distribution. This study included 27 tests performed at 15 laboratories conducting or planning to conduct nucleic acid amplification tests (RT-qPCR and LAMP methods) for SARSCoV-2. The detection limit of each test method was set at the value provided by the NIID. The accuracy of the tests was examined to determine whether they met the required accuracy criteria. SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA was reliably detected in all 27 tests. The inactivated specimens used in this study were safe to distribute and could be used as positive controls for all methods.This study was supported by a grant from the Government-Academia Collaboration of Hiroshima Prefecture and by a research grant for COVID-19 from AMED, Japan under Grant Number 20he0622011h0001(to J. T.)

Use of the Hydrogen Breath Test to Determine the Influence of Antibiotic Prophylaxis on Intestinal Flora

Purpose: This experimental study was designed to use the hydrogen (H2) breath test to investigate changes in the intestinal flora of patients that were administered prophylactic antibiotics for 48 hours after surgery. Methods: Altogether, 22 patients were divided into two groups and the antimicrobial prophylactics, cefazolin (3.0 g/day) or sulbactam/ampicillin (4.5 g/day), were administered on induction of anaesthesia for 48 hours after surgery. End expiratory breath samples were collected on the morning of the day of surgery and every morning for 1-6 days after surgery. Results: H2 breath concentration significantly decreased in each group on day 1 (cefazolin: 1.20 ± 0.39 ppm vs. sulbactam/ampicillin: 1.17 ± 0.34 ppm). On day 2, the H2 concentration in the sulbactam/ampicillin group was significantly lower than the cefazolin group (cefazolin: 6.4 ± 2.2 ppm vs. sulbactam/ampicillin: 1.0 ± 0.4 ppm, p < 0.05). H2 concentration was still lower in the sulbactam/ampicillin group (1.3 ± 0.3 ppm vs. 3.3 ± 1.0 ppm, p = 0.10) on day 3. On days 4-6, H2 concentration was essentially the same for both groups. Discussion: Colonic anaerobes are thought to be a reservoir of resistant organisms and prolonged antimicrobial treatment is a major cause for the development of resistance. Surgical prophylaxis is basically recommended for use within 24 hours after surgery. The breath H2 concentration in both groups significantly decreased 24 hours after administration. These results suggest that both antibiotics influence the activity of colonic anaerobes and the duration of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis should be as short as possible

Detection of epithelial apoptosis in pelvic ileal pouches for ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the surgical procedure of choice for patients with refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) and for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) with many rectal polyps. Pouchitis is one of the more frequent complications after IPAA in UC patients; however, it is rare in FAP.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Evaluate pro-apoptotic activity in endoscopically and histological normal mucosa of the ileal pouch in patients with UC and FAP.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eighteen patients (nine with UC and nine with FAP) with J pouch after total rectocolectomy were studied. Biopsies were obtained from the mucosa of the pouch and from normal ileum. The specimens were snap-frozen and the expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 were determined by immunoblot of protein extracts and by immunohistochemistry analysis. FADD, Caspase-8, APAF-1 and Caspase-9 were evaluated by immunoprecipitation and immunoblot.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients with UC had significantly higher protein levels of Bax and APAF-1, Caspase-9 than patients with FAP, but were similar to controls. The expressions of Bcl-2 and FADD, Caspase-8 were similar in the groups. Immunohistochemistry for Bax showed less intensity of immunoreactions in FAP than in UC and Controls. Bcl-2 immunostaining was similar among the groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Patients with FAP present lower levels of pro-apoptotic proteins in all methods applied, even in the absence of clinical and endoscopic pouchitis and dysplasia in the histological analysis. These findings may explain a tendency of up-regulation of apoptosis in UC patients, resulting in higher rates of progression to pouchitis in these patients, which could correlate with mucosal atrophy that occurs in inflamed tissue. However, FAP patients had low pro-apoptotic activity in the mucosa, and it could explain the tendency to low cell turn over and presence of adenomas in this syndrome.</p

Intestinal microbiota in human health and disease: the impact of probiotics

The complex communities of microorganisms that colonise the human gastrointestinal tract play an important role in human health. The development of culture-independent molecular techniques has provided new insights in the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota. Here, we summarise the present state of the art on the intestinal microbiota with specific attention for the application of high-throughput functional microbiomic approaches to determine the contribution of the intestinal microbiota to human health. Moreover, we review the association between dysbiosis of the microbiota and both intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases. Finally, we discuss the potential of probiotic microorganism to modulate the intestinal microbiota and thereby contribute to health and well-being. The effects of probiotic consumption on the intestinal microbiota are addressed, as well as the development of tailor-made probiotics designed for specific aberrations that are associated with microbial dysbiosis

Re-experiencing composition: meditations on digital scholarly editing at the “Melville Electronic Library”

This essay returns to some fundamental notions in computing history to argue for a creative and dynamic form of scholarly editing in the digital space as a form of creative-critical practice. Constituted as a complementary method to the tradition of critical editing, which attempts to provide the most correct description and single representation of the text, the editor attuned to creative-critical methods seeks to brings readers of the edition closer to the energies of writing – composition, revision, text-making, and the context of texts and their relational contexts. These ideas are demonstrated by three examples from the Melville Electronic Library’s work on Moby-Dick, Billy Budd, Sailor, and the forthcoming digital edition of Hawthorne and His Mosses.Autor tekstu powraca do wybranych fundamentalnych pojęć z historii informatyki, by opowiedzieć się za kreatywną i dynamiczną formą edycji naukowej funkcjonującą w przestrzeni cyfrowej i rozumianą jaka forma praktyki twórczo-krytycznej. Tak ukonstytuowana uzupełnia tradycyjną edycję krytyczną, która zawiera szczegółowy opis i właściwą reprezentację tekstu, oraz stara się przybliżyć czytelnika edycji do „energii pisania” – kompozycji, rewizji, tworzenia tekstu i kontekstu oraz ich wzajemnych relacji. W artykule zaprezentowano to na trzech przykładach dzieł znajdujących się w Melville Electronic Library: powieści Moby Dick, Billy Budd, Sailor i Hawthorne and His Mosses (edycja w trakcie tworzenia)

Transcending Homelessness: Religious Neoliberalism and the Discursive Negotiation of Agency in a Faith-Based Shelter

Previous research on homelessness has been inconclusive in determining the extent of homeless individuals’ own agency in their rehabilitation. At secular shelters, neoliberal ideologies of self-sufficiency and opportunism inundate the discourses surrounding homeless individuals’ use of shelter services; as individuals who are dependent upon the assistance of others, homeless people must operate within the framework of the service organization if they wish to gain access to needed resources (Desjarlais 1996; Lee, Tyler, and Wright 2010; Meanwell 2013; McCarthy 2013). However, the unquestioned supremacy of homeless individuals’ agency as constructed within neoliberal discourses is complicated by research that indicates that homeless individuals lose agency when participating in faith-based rehabilitation programs (Mulder 2004). This dissertation thus proposes that scholarly understanding of homeless individuals’ agency is best served by an analysis that takes both neoliberal and religious ideologies into account. In the United States, these ideologies intersect in the form of conservative faith-based homeless shelters, which are largely unexamined by research (Hackworth 2012). This discussion of homeless individuals’ agency is therefore situated within an Evangelical, corporate-structured shelter that offers long-term rehabilitation programs for homeless adults. The data for this study come from eighteen months of ethnographic work and twenty-two audio-recorded interviews with the shelter residents and staff. Given the importance of language both in neoliberal ideologies of self-marketability and in Evangelical practices, the sociocultural-linguistic analysis employed in this dissertation focuses on shelter residents’ discursive construction of their identities at the intersection of religious-neoliberal ideologies. Drawing on linguistic-anthropological understandings of agency as well as the anthropology of Christianity, this dissertation argues for an expanded understanding of agency that allows for residents’ discursive negotiation of concurrent agencies as individuals actively engaged both in their spiritual recovery as born-again Evangelicals and in their neoliberal pursuit of self-sufficiency. Through this process, residents establish their own understandings of worth and individual transformation that are based on a combination of the shelter’s religious and neoliberal ideologies and firmly embedded in their experience as homeless individuals undergoing long-term rehabilitation processes. This dissertation concludes by problematizing the discourses and impersonal nature of the religious-neoliberal homeless shelter