Compassed about with so great a cloud: the witnesses of Scottish episcopal acta before ca 1250

This article is the result of examining the witnesses to some 600 episcopal acta. Despite the unequal incidence of survival from one diocese to another and the difficulty of identifying those men who had no surname, it is possible to draw some conclusions from this type of evidence. Some-thing can be said about the bishops' clerks and chaplains, other members of their households and their relatives. There is evidence of considerable continuity of personnel from one episcopate to the next. Promotion, including movement to another diocese, can be traced, as can the arrival, growth in numbers and careers of magistri. Surnames allow a consider-ation of the origins of witnesses. Some light is thrown on the growth of cathedral chapters, the introduction of bishops' officials, the role of the Céli Dé, and on clerical dynasties, illegitimacy and pluralism. The Scottish Church is seen to be integrated into the wider Western Church

Four Scottish indulgences at Sens

English interest in the great Cistercian abbey of Pontigny was stimulated by the exiles there of two archbishops of Canterbury, Thomas Becket and Stephen Langton.1 As archbishops of Canterbury, Langton and Edmund of Abingdon made gifts to Pontigny abbey in consideration of the welcome given to Becket.2 Edmund did not die at Pontigny, but was a confrater of the community, and the abbot claimed the body, asserting that Edmund had expressed a wish to be buried there. The process of canonisation was rapid.3 After Edmund's canonisation, Henry III sent a chasuble and a chalice for the first celebration of the feast, and granted money to maintain four candles round the saint's shrine.4 In 1254, en route from Gascony to meet Louis IX in Chartres and Paris,5 Henry visited Pontigny, as his brother Richard of Cornwall, who seems to have pressed for canonisation, had done in 1247.6 Archbishop Boniface of Canterbury ordered the celebration of the feast to be observed throughout his province.7 Pope Alexander IV granted a dispensation to allow Englishwomen to enter the precinct of Pontigny abbey on the feast of the translation of the relics of St Edmund8 (women were normally forbidden to enter a Cistercian monastery). Matthew Paris, the greatest English chronicler of the age, wrote a life of the saint.9 English interest continued into the fourteenth century. In 1331 an English priest was given a licence to visit the shrine,10 but it seems likely that the Hundred Years’ War made pilgrimage to Pontigny difficult.11 The indulgences preserved by the abbey reveal an interest in the shrine throughout the Western Church, granted as they were by prelates from Tortosa to Livonia and Estonia, and from Messina to Lübeck.1

Implementation of Hypertension Treatment Recommendations

There are currently lifestyle modifications and medications that are highly successful in controlling hypertension. Nevertheless, many hypertensive individuals do not implement lifestyle changes and fail to adhere to medication regimens. The current study sought to understand both sociodemographic and intrinsic factors associated with the implementation of recommended lifestyle modifications for treatment of hypertension. The study represents the first step in the application of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills: IMB) model of health behavior and health promotion to hypertension. The primary goal was to provide a profile of the variables relevant for adherence to the multifaceted treatment recommendations for the hypertensive population. 151 participants, aged 55 to 79 with a hypertension diagnosis, completed questionnaires that assessed demographic and socioeconomic status, medical history, gross mental status, personality, self-efficacy, health locus of control, perceived social support, stage of change, and behavioral change since diagnosis of hypertension. The study examined the predictive power of these sociodemographic and intrinsic variables on the recommended lifestyle modifications: medication adherence, physical activity, diet, weight reduction or maintenance of normal weight, moderation of alcohol consumption, and smoking status), as well as total change. The results show there was no set of sociodemographic or intrinsic factors that predicted implementation of all lifestyle modifications. It was found that for most modifications there were intrinsic factors that had limited predictive power. Perceived instrumental social support, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism were predictive of physical activity levels; perceived emotional social support and Conscientiousness were predictive of a healthy diet; and perceived emotional social support and Neuroticism were predictive of total change. In addition, a healthy diet was associated with increased physical activity, lower body mass index: BMI), and greater overall change. Hypertensive patients overall are not consistently implementing the recommended behavioral modifications, and their blood pressure and BMI on average remain above recommended levels. The study revealed that intrinsic factors do play a role in implementation of behavioral recommendations, and that the personality factors of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism along with perceived social support may be important factors to consider when addressing health-related change behavior. In the future these findings could assist researchers with developing individualized treatment paradigms

Combating Recidivism

There is no single solution to the problem of recidivism amongst citizens with sex offense convictions, but it is safe to assume if more focus and awareness was put on the issue, then multiple solutions would start to align with bringing attention to the issue. Ideas such as incorporating new specialty units within police departments that address the rehabilitation of citizens with prior sex offenses or having officers and those within the criminal justice system take a long look in the mirror and evaluate themselves to see what they can personally do better to combat the issue, is a great start. Re-evaluating their own effort in which they give citizens who have prior convictions and their perception of who they believe needs their assistance when coming to work will help achieve this goal

Gene Expression Analysis of Pre- and Peri-Natal Fetal Rat Liver Exposed to Arsenic

It is a well-known fact that arsenic poisoning by way of ingestion may lead to death and has been used to commit various murders over the years. Through research arsenic has become a known human carcinogen. Various disorders such as black-foot disease, skin lesions, genetic mutations and cancers of the bladder, skin, kidney, lung, nasal passage, prostate and liver have all been linked to arsenic exposure. The leading cause of accidental poisoning of arsenic is through the ingestion of ground water that naturally contains high concentrations of arsenic. During gestation, research shows that arsenic can easily transfer across the placenta to the fetus in both humans and rodents. Furthermore, studies have revealed that small amounts of arsenic can also be passed to infants through the breast milk. Arsenic has characteristics that are known to cause cancer· through deregulation of known genes, such as the target genes analyzed in this study Cyclin Dl, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), and proliferating cell 1 2 nuclear antigen (PCNA). Little research has been done thus far exploring the effects of arsenic on the liver of fetal rats specifically. The postulation of this study is that the fetal rat liver during pre-natal and peri-natal exposure exposure to arsenic will show changes - in gene expression in genes associated with cancer. To test this hypothesis, timed pregnant Harlan \u27Sprague Dawley (HSD) rats consumed arsenic tainted water during gestation, and this experimental group was sacrificed and the tissues harvested, while the second experimental group was allowed to breast feed until ten days after birth before sacrifice. The animals exposed during gestation are referred to as the pre-natal group and the group exposed through gestation and breast feeding are referred to as the perinatal group. After harvesting the livers of the pups, RNA was isolated, cDNA was prepared from that RNA, and Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed using primers for genes involved in cell proliferation: Cyclin Dl, PCNA, and MnSOD. Of the genes studied, Cyclin Dl, PCNA, and MnSOD showed upregulation in the perinatal group. In the prenatal group, Cyclin Dl, PCNA, and MnSOD showed downregulation, suggesting that cell proliferation in the fetuses was affected differently by arsenic exposure through the placenta. This observation may be explained by the characteristics of the liver in conjunction with the placenta. The placenta metabolizes xenobiotic molecules and may prevent these molecules from affecting the developing fetus. This study confirmed that the exposure to arsenic effects the expression of cell proliferating genes in the liver, and has divergent effects on the prenatal and perinatal groups

Neurodevelopment and Growth of Institutionalised Children with Vertically Transmitted Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Student Number : 7809567 - MSc dissertation - School of Therapeutic - Faculty of Health SciencesHIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in a major increase in the number of HIV infected children and orphans. HIV infected children are at risk of developmental delays and growth impairments which is further compromised by poor living conditions. Institutionalisation is not the preferred method of caring for children in need, however, it does provide a stable environment, shelter, nutrition and medical care. Objective: To compare the anthropometric measurements and neurodevelopment of HIV infected and HIV uninfected children who were vertically infected, not on antiretroviral treatment and residing in institutions in Gauteng, South Africa. Method: A comparative, longitudinal study of 16 HIV infected and 24 HIV uninfected children between the ages of 16 and 42 months. The Bayley Scale of Infant Development II (MDI and PDI) was used to evaluate neurodevelopment. The children’s mean z-scores for weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-forheight and head circumference-for-age were calculated. Evaluations were carried out at two time points, seven months apart. Results: The HIV infected children scored significantly lower than HIV uninfected children at both time points, in neurodevelopmental (MDI p<0.02 and p<0.00; PDI p<0.00 and p<0.00) and anthropometric measurements for-age (weight p<0.00 and p<0.01; height p<0.00 and p<0.00; head circumference p<0.00 and p<0.07). Both groups (HIV infected and HIV uninfected) showed a significant improvement over time regarding to their weight-for-age (p<0.00; p<0.01) and head circumference-for-age (p<0.01 and p<0.08). The height-forage showed no significant improvement in the HIV infected group (p>0.2) but did in the HIV uninfected group (p<0.03). There was a severe delay in the mental abilities of both the HIV infected and HIV uninfected children and the motor abilities of the HIV infected children, which did not change over time, but the motor abilities of the HIV uninfected children did improve significantly. Conclusion: The HIV virus affects the neurodevelopment and growth of HIV infected children. Both groups showed an improvement over time in their growth particularly weight-for-age indicating that they may have benefited from their institutionalisation

Motivations for Loot Box Engagement in Video Games and Related Characteristics

Presentation Abstract: Loot boxes are features of some video games that contain random gameplay-enhancing or cosmetic items. Players may purchase loot boxes with real-world currency which has led to growing concern that loot boxes are a form gambling without regulations and age restrictions. Previous research has found associations between loot box purchases and problem gambling but limited work has examined possible factors involved in this relationship. One hundred and forty-four participants completed an online questionnaire assessing relationships between loot box use, problem gambling and gaming, and video game streaming behaviors. Bivariate correlations revealed no significant associations between risky loot box use and problem gambling or between problem gambling and problem gaming. Significant associations were found between risky loot box use and motivations for loot box engagement, and between motivations for loot box engagement and problem video gaming. Non-parametric tests also revealed that individuals who watch video game streaming content (e.g., Twitch gaming streams) were more likely to open loot boxes. Implications statement: These findings emphasize the need to further explore motivations for loot box engagement and its relation to problem gambling. Video game streaming may be an important factor in understanding the nature and use of loot boxes