Screenwriting as a mode of research, and the screenplay as a research artefact

Screenwriting practice is now a flourishing mode of research within universities internationally, whereby the act of writing a screenplay or developing screenplay works is not only understood, but also celebrated as a legitimate form of knowledge discovery and dissemination. The resulting work of this creative practice research, which we might call the 'academic screenplay', thus functions simultaneously as a method of research enquiry and a 'non traditional' research artefact. In this chapter we explore what it means to develop and write a screenplay in the academy, under the conditions of and for research. By positioning screenwriting alongside and in between the disciplines of creative writing and screen production, we reflect on how it can draw from both disciplines at different times and for different purposes, and can be influenced by their specific - and sometimes contradictory - discourses. By doing so, the chapter provides a comprehensive overview of screenwriting as a growing mode of research, and its practice as an important addition to the academy

Deregulated expression of hnRNP A/B proteins in human non-small cell lung cancer: parallel assessment of protein and mRNA levels in paired tumour/non-tumour tissues

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) of the A/B type (hnRNP A1, A2/B1, A3) are highly related multifunctional proteins participating in alternative splicing by antagonising other splicing factors, notably ASF/SF2. The altered expression pattern of hnRNP A2/B1 and/or splicing variant B1 alone in human lung cancer and their potential to serve as molecular markers for early diagnosis remain issues of intense investigation. The main objective of the present study was to use paired tumour/non-tumour biopsies from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to investigate the expression profiles of hnRNP A1, A2/B1 and A3 in conjunction with ASF/SF2.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We combined western blotting of tissue homogenates with immunohistochemical examination of fixed tissue sections and quantification of mRNA expression levels in tumour versus adjacent normal-looking areas of the lung in the same patient.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our study, in addition to clear evidence of mostly uncoupled deregulation of hnRNPs A/B, has revealed hnRNP A1 to be the most deregulated protein with a high frequency of over-expression (76%), followed by A3 (52%) and A2/B1 (43%). Moreover, direct comparison of protein/mRNA levels showed a lack of correlation in the case of hnRNP A1 (as well as of ASF/SF2), but not of A2/B1, suggesting that different mechanisms underlie their deregulation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results provide strong evidence for the up-regulation of hnRNP A/B in NSCLC, and they support the existence of distinct mechanisms responsible for their deregulated expression.</p

A Screen for RNA-Binding Proteins in Yeast Indicates Dual Functions for Many Enzymes

Hundreds of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) control diverse aspects of post-transcriptional gene regulation. To identify novel and unconventional RBPs, we probed high-density protein microarrays with fluorescently labeled RNA and selected 200 proteins that reproducibly interacted with different types of RNA from budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Surprisingly, more than half of these proteins represent previously known enzymes, many of them acting in metabolism, providing opportunities to directly connect intermediary metabolism with posttranscriptional gene regulation. We mapped the RNA targets for 13 proteins identified in this screen and found that they were associated with distinct groups of mRNAs, some of them coding for functionally related proteins. We also found that overexpression of the enzyme Map1 negatively affects the expression of experimentally defined mRNA targets. Our results suggest that many proteins may associate with mRNAs and possibly control their fates, providing dense connections between different layers of cellular regulation

Phosphorylation of the Drosophila melanogaster RNA–Binding Protein HOW by MAPK/ERK Enhances Its Dimerization and Activity

Drosophila melanogaster Held Out Wings (HOW) is a conserved RNA–binding protein (RBP) belonging to the STAR family, whose closest mammalian ortholog Quaking (QKI) has been implicated in embryonic development and nervous system myelination. The HOW RBP modulates a variety of developmental processes by controlling mRNA levels and the splicing profile of multiple key regulatory genes; however, mechanisms regulating its activity in tissues have yet to be elucidated. Here, we link receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling to the regulation of QKI subfamily of STAR proteins, by showing that HOW undergoes phosphorylation by MAPK/ERK. Importantly, we show that this modification facilitates HOW dimerization and potentiates its ability to bind RNA and regulate its levels. Employing an antibody that specifically recognizes phosphorylated HOW, we show that HOW is phosphorylated in embryonic muscles and heart cardioblasts in vivo, thus documenting for the first time Serine/Threonine (Ser/Thr) phosphorylation of a STAR protein in the context of an intact organism. We also identify the sallimus/D-titin (sls) gene as a novel muscle target of HOW–mediated negative regulation and further show that this regulation is phosphorylation-dependent, underscoring the physiological relevance of this modification. Importantly, we demonstrate that HOW Thr phosphorylation is reduced following muscle-specific knock down of Drosophila MAPK rolled and that, correspondingly, Sls is elevated in these muscles, similarly to the HOW RNAi effect. Taken together, our results provide a coherent mechanism of differential HOW activation; MAPK/ERK-dependent phosphorylation of HOW promotes the formation of HOW dimers and thus enhances its activity in controlling mRNA levels of key muscle-specific genes. Hence, our findings bridge between MAPK/ERK signaling and RNA regulation in developing muscles

Thermal analysis of solid and vented disc brake during the braking process

Braking system is one of the most important components of a vehicle on the road. This system has the task to bring the vehicle to stop or slow down. Friction brakes, during the braking process, convert the kinetic and potential energy into the thermal energy (heat). The basic components of braking systems, brake discs and brake pads, in a short period of time absorb a large amount of heat release (Travaglia et al. 2014). The absorbed heat must be, as far as possible, effectively dissipated in order to ensure the normal operation of the braking system (Day et al. 1984). High temperature during the braking process may cause many problems such as thermal cracks, premature wear, brake fade and thermally-excited vibration (Lee 1999). In this study, a typical disc brake system was modeled including brake disc and pads. Using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.0, we investigated thermal behavior of two types of discs - solid and vented dics. The results show that the vented disc is a much better solution than the solid disc, because the greater amount of heat is released for the same amount of time

Pedal force determination respect to ride comfort

© 2017 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. Automotive ergonomics is a set of knowledge which has a task to design a vehicle to make the passengers feel comfortable. Interior packaging represents an important stage in the vehicle design process, in order to enable the driver to every important aspect of movement. During the process of driving, the driver performs various movements of arms and legs, leading to a certain fatigue. Each seating position in the vehicle, contain certain boundary conditions, and for that reason it was necessary to examine how the seating position affects the driver possibilities. In this paper, the pedal forces were determined by application of Ramsis human model. Different human populations were taken into account. Correlation between subjects' anthropometrics measures and the foot pedal force pedal was observed. Obtained results were significant input data for vehicle packaging

The application of neural networks for prediction of concentration of harmful components in the exhaust gases of diesel engines

© 2020, Strojarski Facultet. All rights reserved. Means of transport (vehicles) are a part of everyday life. The main purpose of the vehicles is to transport the goods and the passengers. The road traffic has the largest share in transport. Majority of the transport vehicles use the IC engine as a power unit. The application of engines driven by fossil fuels has caused the road traffic to exhibit its poor side in terms of harmful effect on environment and human health. The constant tightening of the legal regulations has led the engine manufacturers to continuously improve the IC engines. Determination of the exhaust emission parameters usually requires an experiment. The possibility of neural network application for pollutants concentration prediction in the exhaust gases from diesel engines based on experimental data is considered in this paper. Some inputs, not previously considered in the reviewed literature, are introduced into the developed model of the neural network. By comparison with experimental data, it was established that the developed neural network model can successfully predict concentration of pollutants and that it can be used for future research