The Anglo-Norman Bible's Book of Judges: A Critical Edition (BL Royal 1 C III)

A silver-tongued assassin, a motherly prophetess, a consecrated strongman unable to resist the charms of foreign women: the Anglo-Norman Bible’s Book of Judges features a roll-call of unlikely heroes. At the book’s core is a cycle of saviour stories. Twelve times the Israelites embrace foreign gods, succumb to neighbouring enemies, repent and are delivered by a ‘judge’. As Israel itself descends into ever-greater religious, moral and political decay, the narrative pattern also unravels. The book ends bleakly, with stories of rape, murder and civil war. The stage is set for a king. Gideon-a doubting Thomas who repeatedly ‘tests’ God-and Samson-lion-killer and lover of Delilah-were firm medieval favourites. Their tales and those of other flawed judges inspired heroic deeds on the battlefield and provided lessons on how to behave (and indeed how not to behave). With its remarkable heroines, moreover-from cut-throat Jael, who wields a tent-peg to devastating effect, to Jephthah’s dignified daughter, sacrificed because of her father’s rash vow-this is a book that prompted much reflection in the Middle Ages on the place of women in society. The Anglo-Norman Bible’s Book of Judges survives in two fourteenth-century manuscripts: British Library Royal MS 1 C III (L), noted for its multilingual glosses, and the richly illustrated Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds français 1 (P). The critical text, based on L, has been prepared by Pitts. An introduction and notes by Grange aim to elucidate and interpret the Anglo-Norman Bible’s Book of Judges for the modern reader

Disrupted glucose homeostasis and skeletal muscle-specific glucose uptake in an exocyst knockout mouse model

Skeletal muscle is responsible for the majority of glucose disposal following meals, and this is achieved by insulin-mediated trafficking of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) to the cell membrane. The eight-protein exocyst trafficking complex facilitates targeted docking of membrane-bound vesicles, a process underlying the regulated delivery of fuel transporters. We previously demonstrated the role of exocyst subunit EXOC5 in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 exocytosis and glucose uptake in cultured rat skeletal myoblasts. However, the in vivo role of EXOC5 in skeletal muscle remains unclear. Using mice with inducible, skeletal muscle-specific knockout of exocyst subunit EXOC5 (Exoc5-SMKO), we examined how muscle-specific disruption of the exocyst would affect glucose homeostasis in vivo. We found that both male and female Exoc5-SMKO mice displayed elevated fasting glucose levels. Additionally, male Exoc5-SMKO mice had impaired glucose tolerance and lower serum insulin levels. Using indirect calorimetry, we observed that male Exoc5-SMKO mice have a reduced respiratory exchange ratio during the light period and lower energy expenditure. Using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp method, we further showed that insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake is reduced in Exoc5-SMKO males compared to wild-type controls. Overall, our findings indicate that EXOC5 and the exocyst are necessary for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and regulate glucose homeostasis in vivo

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Cross-sport recruiting effects in NCAA D1 football and basketball

Using an extensive data set, we conduct an academic study of the determinants of recruiting success in Division 1 basketball and football. Among many findings, we show that football recruiting is correlated with on-court basketball success, although the relationship is not always positive. However, we do not find any evidence supporting the oft-held claim that on-field football success aids in basketball recruiting. Additionally, our models indicate that recruiting effects differ between “power” and “mid-major” conferences. These findings, among others provided herein, should enhance the literature on recruiting in college sports and could encourage administrators and coaches to reconsider recruiting tactics

Defensive Coordinator and Head Coach effects on team defensive performance in the National Football League

This research examines the impact of defensive coordinators and head coaches on team defensive performance in the National Football League (NFL). We find that elite and very poor defensive coordinators and head coaches can have meaningful impacts on their teams’ defensive performances. A team’s defensive performance is shown to improve with increased defensive coordinator tenure. Similarly, defensive coordinators and head coaches who were NFL players contribute to improved defensive performance compared to coaches without experience as NFL players. In addition, a 3-4 defensive alignment is found to be associated with improved defensive performance compared to a 4-3 defensive alignment

New contracts and dismissal threats from highly drafted rookies: What motivates NFL quarterbacks?

The authors examined whether incumbent starting quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL) performed better after their teams drafted another quarterback in the first round of the preceding draft. There was some evidence that quarterbacks exhibited slightly improved performance under these conditions. However, the impact on performance was small. There was little evidence of opportunistic behavior by quarterbacks, but quarterbacks may perform slightly better in the first year of a new contract. The authors conclude that quarterbacks are already exerting at or near their maximum effort level and thus their performances are unlikely to be greatly impacted by dismissal threats or contract details

Is the NBA Summer League Predictive of performance for NBA Rookies

Using data from 2006 to 2019, we show that performance in the NBA Summer League can be used to predict regular season performance for NBA rookies. This result is indicated by general performance (win shares) and also by individual performance measures; for example, players who score more points than anticipated in the Summer League are also more proficient scorers as NBA rookies. Our findings suggest that NBA executives and coaches should use performance in the Summer League to inform personnel decisions. This study is the first of its nature and will hopefully encourage others to investigate the NBA Summer League

Is the NBA Summer League Predictive of Performance for NBA Rookies?

Using data from 2006 to 2019, we show that performance in the NBA Summer League can be used to predict regular season performance for NBA rookies. This result is indicated by general performance (win shares) and also by individual performance measures; for example, players who score more points than anticipated in the Summer League are also more proficient scorers as NBA rookies. Our findings suggest that NBA executives and coaches should use performance in the Summer League to inform personnel decisions. This study is the first of its nature and will hopefully encourage others to investigate the NBA Summer League