Julian of Norwich and her children today: Editions, translations and versions of her revelations

The viability of such concepts as "authorial intention," "the original text," "critical edition" and, above all, "scholarly editorial objectivity" is not what it was, and a study of the textual progeny of the revelations of Julian of Norwich--editions, versions, translations and selections--does little to rehabilitate them. Rather it tends to support the view that a history of reading is indeed a history of misreading or, more positively, that texts can have an organic life of their own that allows them to reproduce and evolve quite independently of their author. Julian's texts have had a more robustly continuous life than those of any other Middle English mystic. Their history--in manuscript and print, in editions more or less approximating Middle English and in translations more or less approaching Modern English--is virtually unbroken since the fifteenth century. But on this perilous journey, many and strange are the clutches into which she and her textual progeny have fallen

Effects of bonny light crude oil on anti-oxidative enzymes and total proteins in Wistar rats

Crude oil (CO) is a substance trado-medically used within some rural population as an antidote to poisoning and a cure for various gastro-intestinal disturbances among others. The ingestion of crude oil either orally or through polluted marine species represents a pathway for the delivery of potential toxicants to the human system. The study, therefore, analysed the effects of bonny light crude oil on the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST)] and the concentration of total proteins (TP). The results show that SOD activity was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the control rats (0.97±0.01) compared to the rats administered 6 ml of crude oil/kg body weight (b.w) (1.31 ± 0.17), and 9 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (1.27 ± 0.03). There was however, no significant difference (p>0.05) between the SOD activity of the rats treated with 3 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (1.25 ± 0.27) and that of the control rats. CAT specific activity in the rats of the control group (5.5 ± 3.2x10-3) was lower than that of the rats administered 3 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (6.2±3.4 x 10-3), 6 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (7.5±4.8 x 10-3) and 9 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (12.5 ± 8.3 x 10-3); although the mean differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05). GST specific activity was higher in the rats of the crude oil-untreated group (88.6 ± 136.3 x 10-3) compared to the rats of the group treated with 3 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (82.7 ± 32.3 x 10-3), 6 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (26.0 ± 19.5 x 10-3) and 9 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (25.4 ± 21.2 x 10-3). Nevertheless, the mean differences were still not statistically significant (p>0.05). Total proteins concentration was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the rats given 9 ml of crude oil/kg b.w (0.33±0.08) compared to that of the control rats (0.05±0.02). In connection with the above results, the crude oil at high dose was found to have oxidative stress-inducing potential and hence, warrants that its use be discouraged or replaced with other less or non-toxic agents with similar therapeutic values as it.Key words: Crude oil, trado-medically, bonny light, anti-oxidative enzymes and total proteins

Measuring co-authorship and networking-adjusted scientific impact

Appraisal of the scientific impact of researchers, teams and institutions with productivity and citation metrics has major repercussions. Funding and promotion of individuals and survival of teams and institutions depend on publications and citations. In this competitive environment, the number of authors per paper is increasing and apparently some co-authors don't satisfy authorship criteria. Listing of individual contributions is still sporadic and also open to manipulation. Metrics are needed to measure the networking intensity for a single scientist or group of scientists accounting for patterns of co-authorship. Here, I define I1 for a single scientist as the number of authors who appear in at least I1 papers of the specific scientist. For a group of scientists or institution, In is defined as the number of authors who appear in at least In papers that bear the affiliation of the group or institution. I1 depends on the number of papers authored Np. The power exponent R of the relationship between I1 and Np categorizes scientists as solitary (R>2.5), nuclear (R=2.25-2.5), networked (R=2-2.25), extensively networked (R=1.75-2) or collaborators (R<1.75). R may be used to adjust for co-authorship networking the citation impact of a scientist. In similarly provides a simple measure of the effective networking size to adjust the citation impact of groups or institutions. Empirical data are provided for single scientists and institutions for the proposed metrics. Cautious adoption of adjustments for co-authorship and networking in scientific appraisals may offer incentives for more accountable co-authorship behaviour in published articles.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure

Critical change in the Fermi surface of iron arsenic superconductors at the onset of superconductivity

The phase diagram of a correlated material is the result of a complex interplay between several degrees of freedom, providing a map of the material's behavior. One can understand (and ultimately control) the material's ground state by associating features and regions of the phase diagram, with specific physical events or underlying quantum mechanical properties. The phase diagram of the newly discovered iron arsenic high temperature superconductors is particularly rich and interesting. In the AE(Fe1-xTx)2As2 class (AE being Ca, Sr, Ba, T being transition metals), the simultaneous structural/magnetic phase transition that occurs at elevated temperature in the undoped material, splits and is suppressed by carrier doping, the suppression being complete around optimal doping. A dome of superconductivity exists with apparent equal ease in the orthorhombic / antiferromagnetic (AFM) state as well as in the tetragonal state with no long range magnetic order. The question then is what determines the critical doping at which superconductivity emerges, if the AFM order is fully suppressed only at higher doping values. Here we report evidence from angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) that critical changes in the Fermi surface (FS) occur at the doping level that marks the onset of superconductivity. The presence of the AFM order leads to a reconstruction of the electronic structure, most significantly the appearance of the small hole pockets at the Fermi level. These hole pockets vanish, i. e. undergo a Lifshitz transition, at the onset of superconductivity. Superconductivity and magnetism are competing states in the iron arsenic superconductors. In the presence of the hole pockets superconductivity is fully suppressed, while in their absence the two states can coexist.Comment: Updated version accepted in Nature Physic

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Clinical Strains of Campylobacter jejuni from South Africa

BACKGROUND: Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of acute gastroenteritis and is also associated with the post-infectious neuropathies, Guillain-Barré and Miller Fisher syndromes. In the Cape Town area of South Africa, C. jejuni strains with Penner heat-stable (HS) serotype HS:41 have been observed to be overrepresented among cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome. The present study examined the genetic content of a collection of 32 South African C. jejuni strains with different serotypes, including 13 HS:41 strains, that were recovered from patients with enteritis, Guillain-Barré or Miller Fisher syndromes. The sequence-based typing methods, multilocus sequence typing and DNA microarrays, were employed to potentially identify distinguishing features within the genomes of these C. jejuni strains with various disease outcomes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Comparative genomic analyses demonstrated that the HS:41 South African strains were clearly distinct from the other South African strains. Further DNA microarray analysis demonstrated that the HS:41 strains from South African patients with the Guillain-Barré syndrome or enteritis were highly similar in gene content. Interestingly, the South African HS:41 strains were distinct in gene content when compared to HS:41 strains from other geographical locations due to the presence of genomic islands, referred to as Campylobacter jejuni integrated elements (CJIEs). Only the integrated element CJIE1, a Campylobacter Mu-like prophage, was present in the South African HS:41 strains whereas this element was absent in two closely-related HS:41 strains from Mexico. A more distantly-related HS:41 strain from Canada possessed both integrated elements CJIE1 and CJIE2. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate that CJIEs may contribute to the differentiation of closely-related C. jejuni strains. In addition, the presence of bacteriophage-related genes in CJIE1 may contribute to the genomic diversity of C. jejuni strains. This comparative genomic analysis of C. jejuni provides fundamental information that potentially could lead to improved methods for analyzing the epidemiology of disease outbreaks

Glucocorticoid Receptor-Dependent Gene Regulatory Networks

While the molecular mechanisms of glucocorticoid regulation of transcription have been studied in detail, the global networks regulated by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) remain unknown. To address this question, we performed an orthogonal analysis to identify direct targets of the GR. First, we analyzed the expression profile of mouse livers in the presence or absence of exogenous glucocorticoid, resulting in over 1,300 differentially expressed genes. We then executed genome-wide location analysis on chromatin from the same livers, identifying more than 300 promoters that are bound by the GR. Intersecting the two lists yielded 53 genes whose expression is functionally dependent upon the ligand-bound GR. Further network and sequence analysis of the functional targets enabled us to suggest interactions between the GR and other transcription factors at specific target genes. Together, our results further our understanding of the GR and its targets, and provide the basis for more targeted glucocorticoid therapies

Proactive and politically skilled professionals: What is the relationship with affective occupational commitment?

The aim of this study is to extend research on employee affective commitment in three ways: (1) instead of organizational commitment the focus is on occupational commitment; (2) the role of proactive personality on affective occupational commitment is examined; and (3) occupational satisfaction is examined as a mediator and political skills as moderator in the relationship between proactive personality and affective occupational commitment. Two connected studies, one in a hospital located in the private sector and one in a university located in the public sector, are carried out in Pakistan, drawing on a total sample of over 400 employees. The results show that proactive personality is positively related to affective occupational commitment, and that occupational satisfaction partly mediates the relationship between proactive personality and affective occupational commitment. No effect is found for a moderator effect of political skills in the relationship between proactive personality and affective occupational commitment. Political skills however moderate the relationship between proactive personality and affective organizational commitment

Spatially Explicit Data: Stewardship and Ethical Challenges in Science

Scholarly communication is at an unprecedented turning point created in part by the increasing saliency of data stewardship and data sharing. Formal data management plans represent a new emphasis in research, enabling access to data at higher volumes and more quickly, and the potential for replication and augmentation of existing research. Data sharing has recently transformed the practice, scope, content, and applicability of research in several disciplines, in particular in relation to spatially specific data. This lends exciting potentiality, but the most effective ways in which to implement such changes, particularly for disciplines involving human subjects and other sensitive information, demand consideration. Data management plans, stewardship, and sharing, impart distinctive technical, sociological, and ethical challenges that remain to be adequately identified and remedied. Here, we consider these and propose potential solutions for their amelioration

Border Terriers under primary veterinary care in England: demography and disorders

The Border Terrier is a working terrier type that is generally considered to be a relatively healthy and hardy breed. This study aimed to characterise the demography and common disorders of Border Terriers receiving veterinary care in England using de-identified electronic patient record data within the VetCompass™ Programme