1,728 research outputs found
Billy Elliot The Musical: visual representations of working-class masculinity and the all-singing, all-dancing bo[d]y
According to Cynthia Weber, ā[d]ance is commonly thought of as liberating, transformative, empowering, transgressive, and even as dangerousā. Yet ballet as a masculine activity still remains a suspect phenomenon. This paper will challenge this claim in relation to Billy Elliot the Musical and its critical reception. The transformation of the visual representation of the human body on stage (from
an ephemeral existence to a timeless work of art) will be discussed and analysed vis-a-vis the text and sub-texts of Stephen Daldryās direction and Peter Darlingās
choreography. The dynamics of working-class masculinity will be contextualised within the framework of the family, the older female, the community, the self and
the act of dancing itself
Computational Prediction of MicroRNAs Encoded in Viral and Other Genomes
We present an overview of selected computational methods for microRNA prediction. It is especially aimed at viral miRNA detection. As the number of microRNAs increases and the range of genomes encoding miRNAs expands, it seems that these small regulators have a more important role than has been previously thought. Most microRNAs have been detected by cloning and Northern blotting, but experimental methods are biased towards abundant microRNAs as well as being time-consuming. Computational detection methods must therefore be refined to serve as a faster, better, and more affordable method for microRNA detection. We also present data from a small study investigating the problems of computational miRNA prediction. Our findings suggest that the prediction of microRNA precursor candidates is fairly easy, while excluding false positives as well as exact prediction of the mature microRNA is hard. Finally, we discuss possible improvements to computational microRNA detection
Evaluation of bistable systems versus matched filters in detecting bipolar pulse signals
This paper presents a thorough evaluation of a bistable system versus a
matched filter in detecting bipolar pulse signals. The detectability of the
bistable system can be optimized by adding noise, i.e. the stochastic resonance
(SR) phenomenon. This SR effect is also demonstrated by approximate statistical
detection theory of the bistable system and corresponding numerical
simulations. Furthermore, the performance comparison results between the
bistable system and the matched filter show that (a) the bistable system is
more robust than the matched filter in detecting signals with disturbed pulse
rates, and (b) the bistable system approaches the performance of the matched
filter in detecting unknown arrival times of received signals, with an
especially better computational efficiency. These significant results verify
the potential applicability of the bistable system in signal detection field.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, MikTex v2.
Modulation of Antioxidant Enzyme Expression and Activity by Paraquat in Renal Epithelial NRK-52E Cells
Renal toxicity produced by paraquat involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can overwhelm antioxidant defences, leading to oxidant injury. However, there are conflicting reports regarding the activity and/or expression of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) during oxidative stress injury. This study investigated the activity and expression of these enzymes in a renal epithelial cell line following exposure to paraquat. Confluent NRK-52E cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of paraquat (1-100mM) for up to 24 hours. Renal cell death was determined by measurement of lactate dehydrogenase release. Oxidant damage was determined via measurement of malondialdehyde formation and DNA strand breaks. The effects of paraquat on DNA and de novo protein synthesis were determined using radio-labelled thymidine and leucine respectively. ROS generation (superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical formation) was measured using nitro-bluetetrazolium and deoxyribose assays. Antioxidant enzyme activities and expression were measured using established biochemical assays and Western blot analysis. Exposure of confluent NRK-52E cells to paraquat resulted in significant cell death involving increased lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and inhibition of DNA and de novo protein synthesis. Renal cell injury and death were secondary to increased ROS generation. Incubation with paraquat reduced SOD and CAT activities; in contrast, GSH-Px activity increased significantly. Although SOD expression was significantly reduced, catalase expression was unaffected. These results indicate that paraquat mediates renal toxicity via oxidative stress involving both an increase in ROS generation and reductions in SOD and CAT activities with a concomitant reduction in SOD expression
Rapidly driven nanoparticles: Mean first-passage times and relaxation of the magnetic moment
We present an analytical method of calculating the mean first-passage times
(MFPTs) for the magnetic moment of a uniaxial nanoparticle which is driven by a
rapidly rotating, circularly polarized magnetic field and interacts with a heat
bath. The method is based on the solution of the equation for the MFPT derived
from the two-dimensional backward Fokker-Planck equation in the rotating frame.
We solve these equations in the high-frequency limit and perform precise,
numerical simulations which verify the analytical findings. The results are
used for the description of the rates of escape from the metastable domains
which in turn determine the magnetic relaxation dynamics. A main finding is
that the presence of a rotating field can cause a drastic decrease of the
relaxation time and a strong magnetization of the nanoparticle system. The
resulting stationary magnetization along the direction of the easy axis is
compared with the mean magnetization following from the stationary solution of
the Fokker-Planck equation.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figure
Decision and function problems based on boson sampling
Boson sampling is a mathematical problem that is strongly believed to be
intractable for classical computers, whereas passive linear interferometers can
produce samples efficiently. So far, the problem remains a computational
curiosity, and the possible usefulness of boson-sampling devices is mainly
limited to the proof of quantum supremacy. The purpose of this work is to
investigate whether boson sampling can be used as a resource of decision and
function problems that are computationally hard, and may thus have
cryptographic applications. After the definition of a rather general
theoretical framework for the design of such problems, we discuss their
solution by means of a brute-force numerical approach, as well as by means of
non-boson samplers. Moreover, we estimate the sample sizes required for their
solution by passive linear interferometers, and it is shown that they are
independent of the size of the Hilbert space.Comment: Close to the version published in PR
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