7 research outputs found
Here be Heathens: The Supernatural Image of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia in Pre-Modern Literature
No full textThe present thesis involves a study of the various ways in which the Northernmost regions of Fenno-Scandinavia and their inhabitants were depicted as being associated with the supernatural in pre-Modern literature. Its findings are based on an exhaustive study of the numerous texts engaging with this subject, ranging from the Roman era to the publication of the Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus of Olaus Magnus in 1555. The thesis presents and analyses the most common supernatural motifs associated with this Far-Northern area, which include animal transformation, sorcery and pagan worship, as well as speculating about their origins, and analyzes the ways in which such ideas and images evolved, both over time and depending on the nature of the written sources in which they appear. The author argues that Northern Fenno-Scandinavia was thought of as a wild, supernatural and pagan land because of the differences in languages, ways of living and magical practices of its inhabitants, an image partially mirrored in literary texts, some of which are of considerable antiquity. The thesis also notes the way in which the supernatural images associated with the Sámi and Finnic peoples seem to have also become attached to the other Germanic-related people living in the north of Norway, who are also often depicted as supernatural “others” equipped with supernatural or magical skills in the literature.Þessi ritgerð fjallar um þá margvíslegu máta sem nyrstu svæði Fennóskandíu og íbúum þess var lýst í tengslum við yfirnáttúruleg öfl í for-nýaldarbókmenntum. Niðurstöðurnar eru byggðar á ítarlegri rannsókn á fjölda texta sem fjalla um viðfangsefnið, allt frá Rómaveldi til útgáfu Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus eftir Olaus Magnus í 1555. Ritgerðin kynnir og greinir helstu minni yfirnáttúrulegra afla sem tengjast þessu norðlæga svæði, til að mynda hamskiptingar, galdra og blót. Tilgátur um uppruna þeirra koma fram og farið er í saumana á því hvernig hugmyndirnar gætu hafa komið fram og þróast, eftir því sem tíminn leið og eðli ritaðra heimilda þar sem þær birtust. Höfundurinn færir rök fyrir því að ímynd Norður-Finnóskandíu var villt, yfirnáttúruleg og heiðin vegna mismunandi tungumála, lifnaðarhátta og galdraiðkunar íbúanna, ímynd sem speglast að hluta til í bókmenntatextum, sumum hverjum frá fornöldum. Sviðsljósinu verður einnig beint að því hvernig yfirnáttúrulegum ímyndum tengdum Sömum og Finnskum var varpað yfir á germanskt fólk í Norður-Noregi, sem oft á tíðum er einnig lýst í bókmenntunum sem yfirnáttúrulegum verum sem búi yfir yfirnáttúrulegum öflum og galdramætti
Optimization of stealth adeno-associated virus vectors by randomization of immunogenic epitopes
No full textAbstractTherapeutic gene transfer by adeno-associated virus of serotype 2 (AAV-2) vectors is hampered in patients with pre-existing immunity. Molecular engineering was recently used to identify key immunogenic amino acid residues of the viral capsid and generate mutants with decreased antibody recognition. Here we explored the importance of finely tuning amino acid identity at immunogenic sites to optimize vector phenotype. A capsid library was generated by codon randomization at five positions where substitutions were shown to yield antibody evading phenotypes. Screening this library to isolate immune-escaping mutants allowed an exhaustive scan of combinations of the 20 natural amino acids at each position and yielded variants that remained infectious when incubated with serum or IVIG concentrations that completely neutralize AAV-2. Clones obtained replacing different residues at the same positions displayed strikingly different phenotypes, demonstrating that a precise choice of amino acid substitutions is fundamental to optimize immune-escaping, packaging ability, infectivity and tropism
A Novel Directed Evolution Method to Enhance Cell-Type Specificity of Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors
No full text502. Advances in the Application of Combinatorial Technology for the Optimization of Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Vectors
No full text117. HSPG Binding Properties of Adeno- Associated Virus Retargeting Mutants and Consequences for Their In Vivo Tropism
No full text
