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We present the serendipitous radio-continuum discovery of a likely Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G305.4–2.2. This object displays a remarkable circular symmetry in shape, making it one of the most circular Galactic SNRs known. Nicknamed Teleios due to its symmetry, it was detected in the new Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) radio–continuum images with an angular size of 1 320$^{\prime\prime}$$\times$1 260$^{\prime\prime}$ and PA = 0$^\circ$. While there is a hint of possible H$\alpha$ and gamma-ray emission, Teleios is exclusively seen at radio–continuum frequencies. Interestingly, Teleios is not only almost perfectly symmetric, but it also has one of the lowest surface brightnesses discovered among Galactic SNRs and a steep spectral index of $\alpha$=–0.6$\pm$0.3. Our best estimates from Hi studies and the $\Sigma$–D relation place Teleios as a type Ia SNR at a distance of either $\sim$2.2 kpc (near-side) or $\sim$7.7 kpc (far-side). This indicates two possible scenarios, either a young (under 1 000 yr) or a somewhat older SNR (over 10 000 yr). With a corresponding diameter of 14/48 pc, our evolutionary studies place Teleios at the either early or late Sedov phase, depending on the distance/diameter estimate. However, our modelling also predicts X-ray emission, which we do not see in the present generation of eROSITA images. We also explored a type Iax explosion scenario that would point to a much closer distance of $\lt$1 kpc and Teleios size of only $\sim$3.3 pc, which would be similar to the only known type Iax remnant SN1181. Unfortunately, all examined scenarios have their challenges, and no definitive Supernova (SN) origin type can be established at this stage. Remarkably, Teleios has retained its symmetrical shape as it aged even to such a diameter, suggesting expansion into a rarefied and isotropic ambient medium. The low radio surface brightness and the lack of pronounced polarisation can be explained by a high level of ambient rotation measure (RM), with the largest RM being observed at Teleios’s centre.
Background: Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is caused by a deficiency of acid α-glucosidase (GAA), leading to progressive muscle and respiratory decline. Cipaglucosidase alfa (cipa), a recombinant human GAA naturally enriched with bis-mannose-6-phosphate, exhibits improved muscle uptake but is limited by inactivation at near-neutral blood pH. Miglustat (mig), an enzyme stabiliser, binds competitively and reversibly to cipa, enhancing its stability and activity. Methods: In dose-finding studies, Gaa-/- mice were treated with cipa (20 mg/kg) +/- mig (10 mg/kg; equivalent human dose ~260 mg). Clinical study methodologies have been published (Schoser et al. Lancet Neurol 2021:20;1027–37; Schoser et al. J Neurol 2024:271;2810–23). Results: In Gaa-/- mice, cipa+mig improved muscle glycogen reduction more than cipa alone and grip strength to levels approaching wild-type mice. LOPD patients (n=11) treated with cipa alone showed dose-dependent decreases in hexose tetrasaccharide (Hex4) levels by ~15% from baseline, decreasing another ~10% with added mig (260 mg). In a head-to-head study, cipa+mig had a similar safety profile to alglucosidase alfa. Among 151 patients (three trials), mig-related adverse events occurred in 21 (13.9%), none serious. Conclusions: Mig stabilised cipa in circulation, improving cipa exposure, further reducing Hex4 levels and was well tolerated in clinical studies in patients with LOPD. Sponsored by Amicus Therapeutics, Inc.
We present a re-discovery of G278.94+1.35a as possibly one of the largest known Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) – that we name Diprotodon. While previously established as a Galactic SNR, Diprotodon is visible in our new Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) and GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky MWA (GLEAM) radio continuum images at an angular size of $3{{{{.\!^\circ}}}}33\times3{{{{.\!^\circ}}}}23$, much larger than previously measured. At the previously suggested distance of 2.7 kpc, this implies a diameter of 157$\times$152 pc. This size would qualify Diprotodon as the largest known SNR and pushes our estimates of SNR sizes to the upper limits. We investigate the environment in which the SNR is located and examine various scenarios that might explain such a large and relatively bright SNR appearance. We find that Diprotodon is most likely at a much closer distance of $\sim$1 kpc, implying its diameter is 58$\times$56 pc and it is in the radiative evolutionary phase. We also present a new Fermi-LAT data analysis that confirms the angular extent of the SNR in gamma rays. The origin of the high-energy emission remains somewhat puzzling, and the scenarios we explore reveal new puzzles, given this unexpected and unique observation of a seemingly evolved SNR having a hard GeV spectrum with no breaks. We explore both leptonic and hadronic scenarios, as well as the possibility that the high-energy emission arises from the leftover particle population of a historic pulsar wind nebula.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by stereotypies or repetitive behaviors and impairments in social behavior and socio-communicative skills. One hallmark phenotype of ASD is poor joint attention skills compared to neurotypical controls. In addition, individuals with ASD have lower scores on several of the Big 5 personality dimensions, including Extraversion. Here, we examine these traits in a nonhuman primate model (chimpanzees; Pan troglodytes) to further understand the relationship between personality and joint attention skills, as well as the genetic and neural systems that contribute to these phenotypes. We used archival data including receptive joint attention (RJA) performance, personality based on caretaker ratings, and magnetic resonance images from 189 chimpanzees. We found that, like humans, chimpanzees who performed worse on the RJA task had lower Extraversion scores. We also found that joint attention skills and several personality dimensions, including Extraversion, were significantly heritable. There was also a borderline significant genetic correlation between RJA and Extraversion. A conjunction analysis examining gray matter volume showed that there were five main brain regions associated with both higher levels of Extraversion and social cognition. These regions included the right posterior middle and superior temporal gyrus, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal sulcus, and left superior frontal sulcus, all regions within the social brain network. Altogether, these findings provide further evidence that chimpanzees serve as an excellent model for understanding the mechanisms underlying social impairment related to ASD. Future research should further examine the relationship between social cognition, personality, genetics, and neuroanatomy and function in nonhuman primate models.
SEP-363856 is a novel psychotropic agent without dopamine D2 receptor occupancy. Although its mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated, preclinical data suggest that agonism at trace amine receptor 1 (TAAR1) and the serotonin 5-H1A receptor contributes to its efficacy. In a double-blind (DB), placebo-controlled study, SEP−363856 demonstrated significant efficacy in the treatment of an exacerbation of schizophrenia (Koblan et al, NEJM 2020; 82:1497–1506). We present results of a 6-month extension study whose aim was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of longer-term treatment with SEP−363856.
Method
Patients with an acute exacerbation of schizophrenia who completed a 4-week, DB, placebo-controlled, flexible-dose (50 or 75 mg) study of SEP−363856 were given the option to enroll in an extension study in which they were treated, open-label (OL), with flexible doses (25/50/75 mg/d) of SEP−363856 for 26-weeks. The primary outcomes were safety measures; effectiveness outcomes were secondary and included the PANSS total score and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) total score.
Results
A total of 193 patients completed the 4-week DB study, and 156 (80.8%) were dosed in the OL extension study and received at least one dose of SEP−363856 (safety population). Study completer rate was 66.9%; reasons for discontinuation consisted of adverse event (11.5%), withdrawal of consent (10.2%), lack of efficacy (5.1%), and other (6.4%). 15 patients experienced an SAE: schizophrenia (n=11); acute psychosis (N=1); uterine hemorrhage and suicidal ideation (N=1 each); there were no deaths in the study. Individual AEs with an incidence =2% were schizophrenia (12.2%), headache (11.5%), insomnia (8.3%), anxiety (5.1%), somnolence (4.5%), nasopharyngitis (4.5%), nausea (3.8%), irritability (3.2%), influenza (3.2%), weight decreased (3.2%), and prolactin increased (2.6%). On movement scales, minimal mean change from OL-baseline to Week 26 occurred on the Barnes total score (−0.1), AIMS total score (0.0) and SAS score (−0.1). Mean month 6 change from DB baseline in weight was −0.3 kg. No clinically meaningful median changes were observed at week 26 in metabolic laboratory parameters (total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, hemoglobin A1c) or in prolactin levels. During 6 months of OL treatment, one patient had an increase in QTcF =60 msec; no patients had a QTcF interval =480 msec. Treatment with SEP−363856 was associated with significant improvement from OL baseline to week 26 in PANSS total score (−22.6) and BNSS total score (−11.3).
Conclusion
Treatment with SEP−363856 was associated with continued improvement from open-label baseline in the PANSS total (−22.6) and BNSS total (−11.3) scores. The most frequently reported adverse events (= 5%) were schizophrenia, headache, insomnia and anxiety. SEP−363856 had minimal effects on weight, lipids, glycemic indices, prolactin, and was associated with minimal risk of extrapyramidal symptom.
Primates engage in a variety of complex social behaviors. Broadly speaking, these social behaviors can range from agonistic to affiliative depending on the context of a given interaction and a variety of other factors such as the sex, age, familiarity, and rank of individuals. Social interactions of any kind – whether cooperative or “prosocial,” as they is often termed, or conflict- and aggression-based, often termed “antisocial” – are based on the individual’s personality and cognitive traits and are manifest in their communication and behaviors directed toward others. (Chapter 5 discusses the problems associated with this terminology.) In other words, similar to humans, within different primate groups there are individual differences in the frequency of behaviors that reflect the range of social behaviors that are expressed during social interactions. Understanding how or why this cluster of traits varies among individuals is therefore important for understanding social interactions. It is now clear that one source of individual variation in both competitive and cooperative behavior is genes. Two of the most widely studied are genes that regulate the receptor distribution of oxytocin (OXTR) and vasopressin (AVPRA, AVPR1B and AVPR2). (See Box 7.1 for an overview of terminology and concepts associated with genetic variation.)
SEP-363856 is a novel psychotropic agent that has shown broad efficacy in animal models of schizophrenia and depression. Its antipsychotic effects appear to be mediated by agonist activity at both trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) and 5-HT1A receptors. Notably, SEP-363856 does not bind to any dopaminergic, serotonergic (except 5-HT1A), glutamatergic, or other neuroreceptors thought to mediate the effects of currently available antipsychotics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SEP-363856 in acutely symptomatic patients with schizophrenia.
Method:
Patients aged 18-40 years meeting DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia (PANSS total score ≥80) were randomized, double-blind, to 4-weeks of flexible-dose SEP-363856 (50 or 75 mg/d) or placebo. Efficacy measures included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score (primary), PANSS subscale scores, and the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) score. Change from baseline in primary and secondary measures were analyzed using a mixed model for repeated measures (MMRM) analysis.
Results:
Study treatment groups were similar at baseline: SEP-363856 (N=120; male, 64.2%; mean age, 30.0 years; PANSS total score, 101.4) and placebo (N=125; male, 63.2%; mean age, 30.6 years; PANSS total score, 99.7). Least-squares (LS) mean reduction from baseline to week 4 was significantly greater for SEP-363856 vs. placebo on the PANSS total score (-17.2 vs. -9.7; P=0.001; effect size, 0.45), PANSS positive subscale score (-5.5 vs. -3.9; P=0.019; effect size, 0.32), PANSS negative subscale score (-3.1 vs. -1.6; P=0.008; effect size, 0.37), PANSS general psychopathology subscale score (-9.0 vs. -4.7; P<0.001; effect size, 0.51), and the CGI-Severity score (-1.0 vs. -0.5; P<0.001; effect size, 0.52). Discontinuation rates for SEP-363856 vs. placebo were similar overall (21.7% vs. 20.8%) and due to an adverse event (8.3% vs. 6.4%). Change in weight, lipids, glucose and prolactin was similar in SEP-363856 and placebo groups. Adverse events occurring with an incidence ≥2% on SEP-363856 or placebo (with SEP-363856 incidence higher than placebo) were: somnolence (6.7% vs. 4.8%), agitation (5.0% vs. 4.8%), nausea (5.0% vs. 3.2%), diarrhea (2.5% vs. 0.8%), and dyspepsia (2.5% vs. 0%). The proportion of patients who reported any extrapyramidal symptom was 3.3% on SEP-363856 and 3.2% on placebo.
Conclusion:
In this placebo-controlled study, treatment with SEP-363856, a novel psychotropic agent, was associated with statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in schizophrenia symptoms as demonstrated by endpoint change in PANSS total and subscale scores, and CGI-Severity scores. Safety and tolerability findings for SEP-363856 were in general similar to placebo. In particular, SEP-363856 was not associated with extrapyramidal symptoms, akathisia, or hyperprolactinemia, consistent with its non-D2 mechanism of action.
ClinicalTrials.gov:
NCT02969382
Funding Acknowledgements:
Supported by funding from Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
In 1693 William Molyneux put a question to John Locke:
Suppose a man born blind, and now adult, and taught by his touch to distinguish between a cube and a sphere of the same metal, and nighly of the same bigness, so as to teil, when he feit one and the other, which is the cube, which the sphere. Suppose then the cube and the sphere placed on a table, and the blind man to be made to see; quare, Whether by his sight, before he touched them, he could now distinguish and teil which is the globe, and which the cube? (Locke, Essay II, ix, 8)
The question became celebrated, attracting some of the foremost minds of the eighteenth Century and beyond. However, it is far from obvious what Molyneux's question is really about. What issue, or issues, of a more general and theoretical nature, does it raise? Since this is unclear, it is also unclear whether Molyneux's question still matters today. I defend a particular conception of what the question is about. If I am right, the question does indeed still matter.
Once-daily dosing with dasotraline, a novel dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, achieves stable plasma concentrations over 24 hours. This phase 3 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of dasotraline in children with attention deficithyperactivity disorder (ADHD) throughout the day, in a laboratory classroom setting (NCT02734693).
Methods
Children (6–12 years) meeting DSM-5 criteria for ADHD were randomized to 2 weeks of dasotraline or placebo (dosed daily at home at approximately 8 PM). Following an abbreviated practice day, laboratory classroom evaluations took place at baseline and on Day 15. The primary endpoint was mean change from baseline at Day 15 in ADHD symptoms, as measured by the Swanson, Kotkin, Agler, M-Flynn, and Pelham Combined Score (SKAMP-CS), obtained from the average of 7 assessments collected across the 12-hour laboratory classroom day (12–24 hours post-dose). Secondary endpoints included SKAMP scores obtained throughout the day at individual timepoints from 8 AM through 8 PM (12–24 hours post-dose), and measures of safety and tolerability.
Results
The ITT population comprised 112 patients. Mean age was 9.5 years, 68.8% were male; 92% completed the study. Dasotraline 4 mg/day significantly improved mean SKAMP-CS versus placebo (p<0.0001, effect size 0.85) with significant effects persisting throughout the day. Mean SKAMP subscores improved significantly versus placebo (Attention p<0.0001, effect size 0.81; Deportment p<0.001, effect size 0.70). Treatment-emergent adverse events were generally mild or moderate in severity; most frequent (with dasotraline 4 mg/day; placebo) included: insomnia (19.6%; 3.6%, all terms combined), decreased appetite (10.7%; 3.6%), headache (10.7%; 8.9%), affect lability (8.9%; 7.1%), irritability (5.4%; 3.6%), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (5.4%; 0%), and perceptual disturbances (5.4%; 0%).
Conclusions
In this 2-week, randomized, double-blind, laboratory classroom study in children with ADHD, once-daily dasotraline significantly improved ADHD symptoms (including deportment and attention), compared with placebo, and demonstrated sustained efficacyup to 24 hours post-dose. The most common adverse events were insomnia, decreased appetite, and headache.
Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the US, with a lifetime prevalence of 2.8%. Disturbances in reward circuitry have been implicated in its pathogenesis. Dasotraline is a novel and potent dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor with slow absorption and a long half-life resulting in stable plasma concentrations over 24 hours with once-daily dosing. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of flexibly-dosed dasotraline (4, 6, and 8 mg/day) vs placebo in adults with moderate to severe BED over a 12-week period (NCT02564588).
Methods
Key inclusion criteria included moderate to severe BED based on a history of ≥2 binge eating days/week for ≥6 months prior to screening, and ≥3 binge eating days for each of2 weeks prior to randomization, as documented in participant’s binge eating diary. Patients were randomized 1:1 to flexibly-dosed dasotraline (4, 6, 8 mg/day) or placebo. Theprimary endpoint was change from baseline (CFB) in the number of binge eating days per week at Week 12. Key secondary endpoints were: CFB in Clinical Global Impression–Severity (CGI-S) Scale at Week 12; CFB in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for Binge Eating (YBOCS-BE) at Week 12; and the percentage ofsubjects with a 4-week cessation from binge eating prior to Week 12 or end of treatment (EOT). Except for 4-week cessation, the other three variables were analyzed using amixed model for repeated measures (MMRM).
Results
317 subjects (84% female) received ≥1 dose of study medication (mean age was 38.2 years; mean number of binge eating days per week, 4.25; mean CGI-S score, 4.5; mean BMI, 34.7). The MMRM analysis of CFB at Week 12 in the number of binge days/week yielded a significant mean difference of –0.99 (95% CI: –0.65 to –1.33; p<0.001) infavour of dasotraline (–3.74 in the dasotraline group vs –2.75 in the placebo group). All three key secondary endpoints were met at Week 12 or EOT: 46.5% of subjects in thedasotraline group achieved at least 4 consecutive weeks’ cessation from binge eating vs 20.6% in the placebo group (p<0.001); CFB in CGI-S and YBOCS-BE scores were also statistically significant in favour of dasotraline (p<0.001). The treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) that occurred more frequently with dasotraline vs placebo at >2% incidence included: insomnia (44.6% vs 8.1%), dry mouth (27.4% vs 5.0%), decreased appetite (19.7% vs 6.9%), anxiety (17.8% vs 2.5%), nausea (12.7% vs 6.9%) and decreased body weight (12.1% vs 0%). Discontinuation due to AEs occurred in 11.5% of patients taking dasotraline vs 2.5% taking placebo.
Conclusions
In adults with moderate to severe BED, there were highly significant and clinically meaningful reductions with dasotraline vs placebo in the frequency of binge eating, global severity of illness, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to binge eating. These results suggest dasotraline may offer a novel, well-tolerated and efficacious treatmentfor BED.
Once-daily dosing with dasotraline, a novel dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, achieves stable plasma concentrations over 24 hours with once-daily dosing. This study evaluated dasotraline in children aged 6–12 years (NCT02428088).
Methods
Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to 6 weeks of once-daily, fixed-dose dasotraline 2 or 4 mg/day, or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline (CFB) at Week 6 in ADHD Rating Scale Version IV – Home Version (ADHD RS-IV HV) total score, using a mixed model for repeated measures (MMRM) in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. Secondary endpoints included Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score and safety endpoints.
Results
The mean age of 342 randomized patients was 9.1 [SD: 1.9] years; 66.7% were male. Overall, 79% of patients completed the study. In the ITT population (N=336), ADHD RS-IV HV total score improved significantly with dasotraline 4 mg/day vs placebo(least squares [LS] mean [SE] CFB at Week 6: –17.53 [±1.31] vs –11.36 [±1.29], respectively, p<0.001; effect size [ES]: 0.48). Inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity subscale scores significantly improved with 4 mg/day vs placebo at Week 6 (p=0.001, p=0.003, respectively). Improvement in CGI-S score was statistically significant with dasotraline 4 mg/day vs placebo(LS mean [SE] CFB at Week 6: –1.39 [±0.12] vs –1.04 [±0.12], respectively, p=0.040; ES: 0.29). No significant improvement was observed on the ADHD RS-IV HV total score and the CGI-S score for dasotraline 2 mg/day vs placebo. The most frequent treatment-emergent AEs (≥5% and higher than placebo) were (2 mg/day; 4 mg/day; placebo): insomnia (15.3%; 21.7%; 4.3%, all terms combined), decreased appetite (12.6%; 21.7%; 5.2%), weight loss (5.4%; 8.7%; 0%), irritability (3.6%; 7.0%; 6.0%), nasopharyngitis (0.9%; 5.2%; 0.9%), and nausea (0%; 5.2%; 2.6%).
Conclusions
Compared with placebo, dasotraline 4 mg/day significantly improved ADHD symptoms in children, as assessed by ADHD RS-IV HV total score and inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity subscale scores. Dasotraline was generally well tolerated; most common AEs were insomnia, decreased appetite, weight loss and irritability.
During the middle Pleistocene Nome River glaciation of northwestern Alaska, glaciers covered an area an order of magnitude more extensive than during any subsequent glacial intervals. The age of the Nome River glaciation is constrained by laser-fusion 40Ar/39Ar analyses of basaltic lava that overlies Nome River drift at Minnie Creek, central Seward Peninsula, that average 470,000 ± 190,000 yr (±1σ). Milligram-size subsamples of the lava were dated to identify and eliminate extraneous 40Ar enrichments that rendered the mean of conventional K-Ar dates on larger bulk samples of the same flow too old (700,000 ± 570,000 yr). While the 40Ar/39Ar analyses provide a minimum limiting age for the Nome River glaciation, maximum ages are provided by a provisional K-Ar date on a basaltic lava flow that underlies the Nome River drift at nearby Lave Creek, by paleomagnetic determinations of the drift itself at and near the type locality, and by amino acid epimerization analysis of molluscan fossils from nearshore sediments of the Anvilian marine transgression that underlie Nome River drift on the coastal plain at Nome. Taken together, the new age data indicate that the glaciation took place between 580,000 and 280,000 yr ago. The altitude of the Anvilian deposits suggests that eustatic sea level during the Anvilian transgression rose at least as high as and probably higher than during the last interglacial transgression; by correlation with the marine oxygen-isotope record, the transgression probably dates to stage 11 at 410,000 yr, and the Nome River glaciation is younger still. Analyses of floor altitudes of presumed Nome River cirques indicate that the Nome River regional snowline depression was at least twice that of the maximum late Wisconsin. The cause of the enhanced snowline lowering appears to be related to greater availability of moisture in northwestern Alaska during the middle Pleistocene.
Drift, evidently of Illinoian age, was deposited on St. Lawrence Island at the margin of an ice cap that covered the highlands of the Chukotka Peninsula of Siberia and spread far eastward on the continental shelf of northern Bering Sea. Underlying the drift on the northwestward part of the island are mollusk-bearing beds deposited during the Kotzebuan Transgression.
A comparison of mollusk faunas from St. Lawrence Island, Chukotka Peninsula, and Kotzebue Sound suggests that the present northward flow through Bering and Anadyr Straits was reversed during the Kotzebuan Transgression. Cold arctic water penetrated southward and southwestward bringing an arctic fauna to the Gulf of Anadyr. Warmer Pacific water probably entered eastern Bering Sea, passed eastward and northeastward around eastern and northern St. Lawrence Island, and then became entrained in the southward currents that passed through Anadyr Strait.
I argue that authentic photography is not able to develop to the full as a communicative representational art. Photography is authentic when it is true to its self-image as the imprinting of images. For an image to be imprinted is for its content to be linked to the scene in which it originates by a chain of sufficient, mind-independent causes. Communicative representational art (in any medium: photography, painting, literature, music, etc.) is art that exploits the resources of representation to achieve artistically interesting communication of thought. The central resources of representation are content, vehicle properties, and the interplay between these two. Whereas painting and other representational arts are able to exploit all three to communicate thought, authentic photography can exploit interplay only to a very limited degree. However, the exploitation of interplay is the culmination of communicative representational art: the natural endpoint in its development.
Scholarly assessments of Chaucer's fabliaux seldom acknowledge that these tales are erotic as well as funny; even less frequently do such investigations delve into why fabliaux are a source of pleasure. As Tom Hanks and W. W. Allman note in their article ‘Rough Love: Notes toward an Erotics of The Canterbury Tales’, scholars seem ‘to have averted their gaze when Chaucer's characters leap into bed’. Allman and Hanks, as their title implies, study an erotics of violence, mostly of men doing violence to women, and they focus in particular on the Merchant's Tale and its ‘erotics of stabbing’. A more positive erotic reading of the Merchant's Tale appears in Andrew Taylor's 1996 essay ‘Reading the Dirty Bits’. Taylor notes the lingering gaze of another scholar, E. Talbot Donaldson, upon a description of young May's body:
Hir fresshe beautee and hir age tendre,
Hir myddel smal, hire armes longe and sklendre,
Hir wise governaunce, hir gentilesse,
Hir wommanly berynge, and hire sadnesse.
(MT 1601–4)
Donaldson writes, ‘the Spring of pretty young girls is a permanent thing, and that May in their personas will always warm the masculine heart’. Taylor suggests that pleasure taken in this description and in Donaldson's gloss of it is mimetic: ‘For the young college man to share Donaldson's and Chaucer's pleasure in May is to become, like them, a connoisseur of both good writing and pretty girls, a master of ironic detachment and well-modulated heterosexual desire’.