The Events: Immanence and the Audience

David Greig’s The Events (2013) stages the aftermath of a traumatic event; a cleric tries to come to terms with the massacre of her multicultural choir. The play uses two actors (one playing the cleric, and the other playing all the other main roles, including that of the killer). The cast, however, also includes a choir, drawn from the town where the show is being performed: the choir sings, and takes on small speaking roles (reading their lines from the script). They also serve as an audience for the action, occupying tiered seating at the back of the stage. The choir serves as a powerful reminder of what Laura Cull, in Theatres of Immanence: Deleuze and the Ethics of Performance (2012) identifies as Deleuzian immanence: a performance which stages “the participation, multiplication and extension of the human body – understood as that which is produced by relations of force and encounters with the affects of other bodies” (10). In this article, I argue that the strong affect generated by the play in performance stems mainly from the positioning of the choir, the performers and the audience as, simultaneously, participants and witnesses to trauma; and from the immanent relation of actors, choir and audience within the structure of the performance event

AMPK-independent LKB1 activity is required for efficient epithelial ovarian cancer metastasis

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) spreads by direct dissemination of malignant cells and multicellular clusters, known as spheroids, into the peritoneum followed by implantation and growth on abdominal surfaces. Using a spheroid model system of EOC metastasis, we discovered that Liver kinase B1 (LKB1), encoded by the STK11 gene, and its canonical substrate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) are activated in EOC spheroids, yet only LKB1 is required for cell survival. We have now generated STK11-knockout cell lines using normal human FT190 cells and three EOC cell lines, OVCAR8, HeyA8, and iOvCa147. STK11KO did not affect growth and viability in adherent culture, but it decreased anchorageindependent growth of EOC cells. EOC spheroids lacking LKB1 had markedly impaired growth and viability, whereas there was no difference in normal FT190 spheroids. To test whether LKB1 loss affects EOC metastasis, we performed intraperitoneal injections of OVCAR8-, HeyA8-, and iOvCa147-STK11KO cells, and respective controls. LKB1 loss exhibited a dramatic reduction on tumor burden and metastatic potential; in particular, OVCAR8-STK11KO tumors had evidence of extensive necrosis, apoptosis, and hypoxia. Interestingly, LKB1 loss did not affect AMPKα phosphorylation in EOC spheroids and tumor xenografts, indicating that LKB1 signaling to support EOC cell survival in spheroids and metastatic tumor growth occurs via other downstream mediators. We identified the dual-specificity phosphatase DUSP4 as a commonly upregulated protein due to LKB1 loss; indeed, DUSP4 knockdown in HeyA8-STK11KOcells partially restored spheroid formation and viability. Implications: LKB1 possesses key tumor-promoting activity independent of downstream AMPK signaling during EOC metastasis

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and the prediction of primary cardiovascular events: results from 15-year follow-up of WOSCOPS

<b>Aims:</b>To test whether N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was independently associated with, and improved the prediction of, cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a primary prevention cohort. <b>Methods and results:</b> In the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS), a cohort of middle-aged men with hypercholesterolaemia at a moderate risk of CVD, we related the baseline NT-proBNP (geometric mean 28 pg/mL) in 4801 men to the risk of CVD over 15 years during which 1690 experienced CVD events. Taking into account the competing risk of non-CVD death, NT-proBNP was associated with an increased risk of all CVD [HR: 1.17 (95% CI: 1.11–1.23) per standard deviation increase in log NT-proBNP] after adjustment for classical and clinical cardiovascular risk factors plus C-reactive protein. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide was more strongly related to the risk of fatal [HR: 1.34 (95% CI: 1.19–1.52)] than non-fatal CVD [HR: 1.17 (95% CI: 1.10–1.24)] (P= 0.022). The addition of NT-proBNP to traditional risk factors improved the C-index (+0.013; P < 0.001). The continuous net reclassification index improved with the addition of NT-proBNP by 19.8% (95% CI: 13.6–25.9%) compared with 9.8% (95% CI: 4.2–15.6%) with the addition of C-reactive protein. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide correctly reclassified 14.7% of events, whereas C-reactive protein correctly reclassified 3.4% of events. Results were similar in the 4128 men without evidence of angina, nitrate prescription, minor ECG abnormalities, or prior cerebrovascular disease. <b>Conclusion:</b> N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide predicts CVD events in men without clinical evidence of CHD, angina, or history of stroke, and appears related more strongly to the risk for fatal events. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide also provides moderate risk discrimination, in excess of that provided by the measurement of C-reactive protein

Averaging lifetimes for B hadron species

The measurement of the lifetimes of the individual B species are of great interest. Many of these measurements are well below the 10 $\%$ level of precision. However, in order to reach the precision necessary to test the current theoretical predictions, the results from different experiments need to be averaged. Therefore, the relevant systematic uncertainties of each measurement need to be well defined in order to understand the correlations between the results from different experiments. \par In this paper we discuss the dominant sources of systematic errors which lead to correlations between the different measurements. We point out problems connected with the conventional approach of combining lifetime data and discuss methods which overcome these problems

Skeletal disproportion in glucocorticoid-treated boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

We aimed to compare body segment and bone lengths in glucocorticoid-treated boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) with healthy controls using dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) images. Total height (Ht), sitting height (SH), leg length (LL) and bone lengths (femur, tibia) in boys with DMD and age-matched control boys were measured using DXA. Thirty boys with DMD (median age 10.0 years (6.1, 16.8)) were compared with 30 controls. SH in DMD was 3.3 cm lower (95% CI − 6.1, − 0.66; p = 0.016). LL in DMD was 7.3 cm lower (95% CI − 11.2, − 3.4; p < 0.0001). SH:LL of boys with DMD was higher by 0.08 (95% CI 0.04, 0.12; p < 0.0001). Femur length in DMD was 2.4 cm lower (95% CI − 4.6, − 0.12; p = 0.04), whereas tibial length in DMD was 4.8 cm lower (95% CI − 6.7, − 2.9; p < 0.0001). SH:LL was not associated with duration of glucocorticoid use (SH:LL β = 0.003, 95% CI − 0.01 to 0.002, p = 0.72). Conclusion: Glucocorticoid-treated boys with DMD exhibit skeletal disproportion with relatively shorter leg length and more marked reduction of distal long bones. As glucocorticoid excess is not associated with such disproportion, our findings raise the possibility of an intrinsic disorder of growth in DMD

The nuclear starburst in Arp 299-A: From the 5.0 GHz VLBI radio light-curves to its core-collapse supernova rate

The nuclear region of the Luminous Infra-red Galaxy Arp 299-A hosts a recent ($\simeq 10$ Myr), intense burst of massive star formation which is expected to lead to numerous core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). Previous VLBI observations, carried out with the EVN at 5.0 GHz and with the VLBA at 2.3 and 8.4 GHz, resulted in the detection of a large number of compact, bright, non-thermal sources in a region \lsim150 pc in size. We aim at establishing the nature of all non-thermal, compact components in Arp 299-A, as well as estimating its core-collapse supernova rate. We use multi-epoch European VLBI Network (EVN) observations taken at 5.0 GHz to image with milliarcsecond resolution the compact radio sources in the nuclear region of Arp 299-A. We also use one single-epoch 5.0 GHz Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) observation to image the extended emission in which the compact radio sources --traced by our EVN observations-- are embedded. Twenty-six compact sources are detected, 8 of them are new objects not previously detected. The properties of all detected objects are consistent with them being a mixed population of CCSNe and SNRs. We find clear evidence for at least two new CCSNe, implying a lower limit to the CCSN rate of \nu_{\rm SN}\gsim0.80 SN/yr indicating that the bulk of the current star formation in Arp 299-A is taking place in the innermost $\sim 150$ pc. Our MERLIN observations trace a region of diffuse, extended emission which is co-spatial to the region where all compact sources are found. From this diffuse, non-thermal radio emission we obtain an independent estimate for the core-collapse supernova rate, which is in the range $\nu_{\rm SN}=0.40$ - 0.65 SN/yr, roughly in agreement with previous estimates and our direct estimate of the CCSN rate from the compact radio emission.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysic

High Resolution CO Observations of Massive Star Forming Regions

Context. To further understand the processes involved in the formation of massive stars, we have undertaken a study of the gas dynamics surrounding three massive star forming regions. By observing the large scale structures at high resolution, we are able to determine properties such as driving source, and spatially resolve the bulk dynamical properties of the gas such as infall and outflow. Aims. With high resolution observations, we are able to determine which of the cores in a cluster forming massive stars is responsible for the large scale structures. Methods. We present CO observations of three massive star forming regions with known HII regions and show how the CO traces both infall and outflow. By combining data taken in two SMA configurations with JCMT observations, we are able to see large scale structures at high resolution. Results. We find large (0.26-0.40 pc), massive (2-3 M_sun) and energetic (13-17 \times 10^44 erg) outflows emanating from the edges of two HII regions suggesting they are being powered by the protostar(s) within. We find infall signatures in two of our sources with mass infall rates of order 10-4 M_sun/yr. Conclusions. We suggest that star formation is ongoing in these sources despite the presence of HII regions. We further conclude that the source(s) within a single HII region are responsible for the observed large scale structures; that these large structures are not the net effect of multiple outflows from multiple HII regions and hot cores.Comment: 8 pages,2 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Star and Planet Formation with ALMA: an Overview

Submillimeter observations with ALMA will be the essential next step in our understanding of how stars and planets form. Key projects range from detailed imaging of the collapse of pre-stellar cores and measuring the accretion rate of matter onto deeply embedded protostars, to unravelling the chemistry and dynamics of high-mass star-forming clusters and high-spatial resolution studies of protoplanetary disks down to the 1 AU scale.Comment: Invited review, 8 pages, 5 figures; to appear in the proceedings of "Science with ALMA: a New Era for Astrophysics". Astrophysics & Space Science, in pres