Papers by Scott MacKenzie
Anglo-Saxons believed that human existence was brief and brutal. Belief in the inevitable decay o... more Anglo-Saxons believed that human existence was brief and brutal. Belief in the inevitable decay of the world into chaos was strong in pagan tradition and fit well with the precepts of the Christian apocalypse. To their eyes all creation was wending its way toward destniction. During the eighth century, as Christianity blended with pagan beliefs, two genres of poetry, the epic and the elegy, convey two different responses of the Anglo-Saxons to chaos. Courage in the face of death was the hope of each Anglo-Saxon warrior and the dominant ideal in the epic. He wished only to serve his lord and to earn immortality in the memory of men. Even if all were lost to chaos, at least his memory would remain forever in song and legend. If he was unable to defeat the chaos of the universe, at least through a glorious death he could defy it. For the poets of the elegy nothing was able to escape fate. Heroes might do battle with the chaotic forces that were unleashed in ever increasing number but in the end it would have no effect. The world that man had constructed for himself was eroding and would certainly collapse. The penitent of Resignation sums up well the attitude of the genre: Giet bift ftret selast, ponne mon him sylf ne mt2g wyrd onwendan, jxet he ftonne wel ftolige (Yet this is best, when man is unable to change fate, then he must endure it well.) Christianity found an ally in the poet of the elegy. Instead of opposing fate with the sword, the elegiac poet mournfully embraced it. The worldview espoused by V the Anglo-Saxon poet meshed with that of the Christian. Through this alliance the conversion of England was facilitated and completed. vi
Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 2004
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are normal products of embryo metabolism;; however, oxidative injur... more Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are normal products of embryo metabolism;; however, oxidative injury may negatively impact development if ROS production exeeds antioxidant defense mechanisms. Protection of the embryo against ROS is dependent, in part, upon the pool of antioxidant enzyme mRNA and products stored in the oocyte. Previous work has demonstrated that retinol administration to superovulated ewes, followed by natural service, resulted in embryos with improved competence to develop in vitro. In other cell systems, retinoids have been shown to participate in the antioxidant network and redox system. The objectives of this study were to analyze glutathione content and characterize antioxidant enzyme mRNA expression in mature ovine oocytes and test the hypothesis that retinol administration affects levels of these products. Ewes were superovulated and administered retinol on the first and last day of FSH injection. Oocytes were collected from oviducts 60h later and either prepare...
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Papers by Scott MacKenzie