Redefining the performing arts archive

This paper investigates representations of performance and the role of the archive. Notions of record and archive are critically investigated, raising questions about applying traditional archival definitions to the performing arts. Defining the nature of performances is at the root of all difficulties regarding their representation. Performances are live events, so for many people the idea of recording them for posterity is inappropriate. The challenge of creating and curating representations of an ephemeral art form are explored and performance-specific concepts of record and archive are posited. An open model of archives, encouraging multiple representations and allowing for creative reuse and reinterpretation to keep the spirit of the performance alive, is envisaged as the future of the performing arts archive

Attitudes Toward Genetics and Genetic Testing Among Participants in the Jackson and Framingham Heart Studies

Genetic analysis has become integral to many large cohort studies. However, little is known about longitudinal cohort study participants' attitudes toward genetics and genetic testing. We analyzed data from a survey of participants in the Jackson Heart Study (n = 960), Framingham Heart Study (n = 955), and Framingham Heart Study-Omni Cohort (n = 160). Based on a three-question attitude scale, most participants had positive attitudes toward genetic testing (median score = 4.3-5/5). Participants were also asked to select words to describe their attitudes toward genetics. More respondents endorsed the positive words "hopeful" (60%-70%), "optimistic" (44%-64%), "enthusiastic" (35%-43%), or "excited" (28%-30%) than the negative words "cautious" (35%-38%), "concerned" (25%-55%), "worried" (6%-13%), "pessimistic" (2%-5%), or "horrified" (1%-5%). Characteristics associated with favorable attitudes were greater genetics knowledge, higher subjective numeracy, experience with genetic testing, less frequent religious attendance, and not being employed. These findings demonstrate variation in attitudes even among participants in long-standing cohort studies, indicating a need for ongoing participant engagement and education

Nitrous oxide emissions from a peatbog after 13 years of experimental nitrogen deposition

Nitrogen deposition was experimentally increased on a Scottish peatbog over a period of 13 years (2002–2015). Nitrogen was applied in three forms, NH3 gas, NH4Cl solution, and NaNO3 solution, at rates ranging from 8 (ambient) to 64 kg N ha−1 yr−1, and higher near the NH3 fumigation source. An automated system was used to apply the nitrogen, such that the deposition was realistic in terms of rates and high frequency of deposition events. We measured the response of nitrous oxide (N2O) flux to the increased nitrogen input. Prior expectations, based on the IPCC default emission factor, were that 1 % of the added nitrogen would be emitted as N2O. In the plots treated with NH4+ and NO3− solution, no response was seen, and there was a tendency for N2O fluxes to be reduced by additional nitrogen, though this was not significant. Areas subjected to high NH3 emitted more N2O than expected, up to 8.5 % of the added nitrogen. Differences in the response are related to the impact of the nitrogen treatments on the vegetation. In the NH4+ and NO3− treatments, all the additional nitrogen is effectively immobilised in the vegetation and top 10 cm of peat. In the NH3 treatment, much of the vegetation was killed off by high doses of NH3, and the nitrogen was presumably more available to denitrifying bacteria. The design of the wet and dry experimental treatments meant that they differed in statistical power, and we are less likely to detect an effect of the NH4+ and NO3− treatments, though they avoid issues of pseudo-replication

Depth-resolved measurement of the Meissner screening profile in a niobium thin film from spin-lattice relaxation of the implanted β\beta-emitter 8^{8}Li

We report measurements of the Meissner screening profile in a Nb(300 nm)/Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ thin film using $^{8}$Li $\beta$-detected nuclear magnetic resonance ($\beta$-NMR). The NMR probe $^{8}$Li was ion-implanted into the Nb film at energies $\leq$ 20 keV, corresponding to mean stopping depths comparable to Nb's magnetic penetration depth $\lambda$. $^{8}$Li's strong dipole-dipole coupling with the host $^{93}$Nb nuclei provided a "cross-relaxation" channel that dominated in low magnetic fields, which conferred indirect sensitivity to the local magnetic field via the spin-lattice relaxation (SLR) rate $1/T_{1}$. From a fit of the $1/T_{1}$ data to a model accounting for its dependence on temperature, magnetic field, and $^{8}$Li$^{+}$ implantation energy, we obtained a magnetic penetration depth $\lambda_{0}$ = 51.5(22) nm, consistent with a relatively short carrier mean-free-path $\ell$ = 18.7(29) nm typical of similarly prepared Nb films. The results presented here constitute an important step towards using $^{8}$Li $\beta$-NMR to characterize bulk Nb samples with engineered surfaces, which are often used in the fabrication of particle accelerators.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Genomic features of bacterial adaptation to plants

Author(s): Levy, A; Salas Gonzalez, I; Mittelviefhaus, M; Clingenpeel, S; Herrera Paredes, S; Miao, J; Wang, K; Devescovi, G; Stillman, K; Monteiro, F; Rangel Alvarez, B; Lundberg, DS; Lu, TY; Lebeis, S; Jin, Z; McDonald, M; Klein, AP; Feltcher, ME; Rio, TG; Grant, SR; Doty, SL; Ley, RE; Zhao, B; Venturi, V; Pelletier, DA; Vorholt, JA; Tringe, SG; Woyke, T; Dangl, JL | Abstract: © 2017 The Author(s). Plants intimately associate with diverse bacteria. Plant-associated bacteria have ostensibly evolved genes that enable them to adapt to plant environments. However, the identities of such genes are mostly unknown, and their functions are poorly characterized. We sequenced 484 genomes of bacterial isolates from roots of Brassicaceae, poplar, and maize. We then compared 3,837 bacterial genomes to identify thousands of plant-associated gene clusters. Genomes of plant-associated bacteria encode more carbohydrate metabolism functions and fewer mobile elements than related non-plant-associated genomes do. We experimentally validated candidates from two sets of plant-associated genes: one involved in plant colonization, and the other serving in microbe-microbe competition between plant-associated bacteria. We also identified 64 plant-associated protein domains that potentially mimic plant domains; some are shared with plant-associated fungi and oomycetes. This work expands the genome-based understanding of plant-microbe interactions and provides potential leads for efficient and sustainable agriculture through microbiome engineering

Age-Dependent Maturation of Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Cytokine Responses in Gambian Infants

The global burden of neonatal and infant mortality due to infection is staggering, particularly in resource-poor settings. Early childhood vaccination is one of the major interventions that can reduce this burden, but there are specific limitations to inducing effective immunity in early life, including impaired neonatal leukocyte production of Th1-polarizing cytokines to many stimuli. Characterizing the ontogeny of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated innate immune responses in infants may shed light on susceptibility to infection in this vulnerable age group, and provide insights into TLR agonists as candidate adjuvants for improved neonatal vaccines. As little is known about the leukocyte responses of infants in resource-poor settings, we characterized production of Th1-, Th2-, and anti-inflammatory- cytokines in response to agonists of TLRs 1-9 in whole blood from 120 Gambian infants ranging from newborns (cord blood) to 12 months of age. Most of the TLR agonists induced TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 in cord blood. The greatest TNFα responses were observed for TLR4, -5, and -8 agonists, the highest being the thiazoloquinoline CLO75 (TLR7/8) that also uniquely induced cord blood IFNγ production. For most agonists, TLR-mediated TNFα and IFNγ responses increased from birth to 1 month of age. TLR8 agonists also induced the greatest production of the Th1-polarizing cytokines TNFα and IFNγ throughout the first year of life, although the relative responses to the single TLR8 agonist and the combined TLR7/8 agonist changed with age. In contrast, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 responses to most agonists were robust at birth and remained stable through 12 months of age. These observations provide fresh insights into the ontogeny of innate immunity in African children, and may inform development of age-specific adjuvanted vaccine formulations important for global health

A modified cementing technique using BoneSource to augment fixation of the acetabulum in a sheep model

Background and purpose Our aim was to prove in an animal model that the use of HA paste at the cement-bone interface in the acetabulum would improve fixation. We examined, in sheep, the effect of interposing a layer of hydroxyapatite cement around the periphery of a polyethylene socket prior to fixing it using polymethylemethacrylate (PMMA). Methods We made a randomized study involving 22 sheep to test whether the application of BoneSource hydroxyapatite material to the surface of the ovine acetabulum prior to cementing a polyethylene cup at hip arthroplasty improved the fixation and the nature of the interface. We studied the gross radiographical appearance of the implant-bone interface and the histological appearance at the interface. Results There were more radiolucencies evident in the control group. Histologically, only sheep randomized into the BoneSource group exhibited a fully osseointegrated interface. Use of the hydroxyapatite material did not confer any detrimental effects. In some cases the material appeared to have been fully resorbed. When the material was evident on histological section, it was incorporated into an osseointegrated interface. There was no giant cell reaction present in any case. There was no evidence of migration of BoneSource to the articulation. Interpretation The application of HA material prior to cementation of a socket produced an improved interface. The technique may be useful in man with to extend the longevity of the cemented implant by protecting the socket interface from the effect of hydrodynamic fluid flow and particulate debris

Transverse-Momentum Dependence of the J/psi Nuclear Modification in d+Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV

We present measured J/psi production rates in d+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV over a broad range of transverse momentum (p_T=0-14 GeV/c) and rapidity (-2.2<y<2.2). We construct the nuclear-modification factor R_dAu for these kinematics and as a function of collision centrality (related to impact parameter for the R_dAu collision). We find that the modification is largest for collisions with small impact parameters, and observe a suppression (R_dAu<1) for p_T<4 GeV/c at positive rapidities. At negative rapidity we observe a suppression for p_T1) for p_T>2 GeV/c. The observed enhancement at negative rapidity has implications for the observed modification in heavy-ion collisions at high p_T.Comment: 384 authors, 24 pages, 19 figures, 13 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. C. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/phenix/WWW/info/data/ppg123_data.htm

Cold Nuclear Matter Effects on J/psi Yields as a Function of Rapidity and Nuclear Geometry in Deuteron-Gold Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV

We present measurements of J/psi yields in d+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV recorded by the PHENIX experiment and compare with yields in p+p collisions at the same energy per nucleon-nucleon collision. The measurements cover a large kinematic range in J/psi rapidity (-2.2 < y < 2.4) with high statistical precision and are compared with two theoretical models: one with nuclear shadowing combined with final state breakup and one with coherent gluon saturation effects. To remove model dependent systematic uncertainties we also compare the data to a simple geometric model. We find that calculations where the nuclear modification is linear or exponential in the density weighted longitudinal thickness are difficult to reconcile with the forward rapidity data.Comment: 449 authors from 66 institutions, 6 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letters. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm