No Innocent Bystanders: Performance Art and Audience

(from upne.com) At a moment when performance art and performance generally are at the center of the international art world, Frazer Ward offers us insightful readings of major performance pieces by the likes of Acconci, Burden, Abramovi , and Hsieh, and confronts the twisting and troubled relationship that performance art has had with the spectator and the public sphere. Ward contends that the ethical challenges with which performance art confronts its viewers speak to the reimagining of the audience, in terms that suggest the collapse of notions like “public” and “community.”https://scholarworks.smith.edu/art_books/1000/thumbnail.jp

Science/fictions: the writing of William S. Burroughs and the body of the subject

The outback is littered with advertising icons, cans and packets, logos fading but still readable in that harsh cinematic light. And it is littered in places with the wreckage of outlandish (or, perhaps, outbackish) vehicles, The Cars That Ate Paris and those bricoleurs' machines, the designers' as well as the characters' of Mad Max movies. There are bits and pieces of satellites, burnt almost and sometimes no doubt entirely beyond recognition on re—entry. In some places the red earth itself is radioactive. Picture the still and, perhaps, from now on perpetually smouldering ruins of the napalmed Global Village, that wide—eyed electric Utopia of McLuhan's after more than a century of electric technology we have extended our central nervous system itself in a global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our planet is concerned. Rapidly, we approach the final phase of the extensions of man — the technological simulation of consciousness, when the creative process of knowing will be collectively and corporately extended to the whole of human society, much as we have already extended our senses and our nerves by the various media (1964:11)

Lactoferrin efficiently counteracts the inflammation-induced changes of the iron homeostasis system in macrophages

Human lactoferrin (hLf), an 80-kDa multifunctional iron-binding cationic glycoprotein, is constitutively secreted by exocrine glands and by neutrophils during inflammation. hLf is recognized as a key element in the host immune defense system. The in vitro and in vivo experiments are carried out with bovine Lf (bLf), which shares high sequence homology and identical functions with hLf, including anti-inflammatory activity. Here, in "pure" M1 human macrophages, obtained by stimulation with a mixture of 10 pg/ml LPS and 20 ng/ml IFN-γ, as well as in a more heterogeneous macrophage population, challenged with high-dose of LPS (1 µg/ml), the effect of bLf on the expression of the main proteins involved in iron and inflammatory homeostasis, namely ferroportin (Fpn), membrane-bound ceruloplasmin (Cp), cytosolic ferritin (Ftn), transferrin receptor 1, and cytokines has been investigated. The increase of IL-6 and IL-1β cytokines, following the inflammatory treatments, is associated with both upregulation of cytosolic Ftn and downregulation of Fpn, membrane-bound Cp, and transferrin receptor 1. All these changes take part into intracellular iron overload, a very unsafe condition leading in vivo to higher host susceptibility to infections as well as iron deficiency in the blood and anemia of inflammation. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to counteract the persistence of the inflammatory status to rebalance iron levels between tissues/secretions and blood. Moreover, levels of the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-10 were increased in cells treated with high doses of LPS. Conversely, IL-10 decreased when the LPS/IFN-γ mix was used, suggesting that only the inflammation triggered by LPS high doses can switch on an anti-inflammatory response in our macrophagic model. Here, we demonstrate that bLf, when included in the culture medium, significantly reduced IL-6 and IL-1β production and efficiently prevented the changes of Fpn, membrane-bound Cp, cytosolic Ftn, and transferrin receptor 1 in "pure" M1 macrophages, as well as in the more heterogeneous macrophage population. In addition, the decrease of IL-10 induced by the LPS/IFN-γ mix was counteracted by bovine lactoferrin. Several drugs capable of modulating macrophagic phenotypes are emerging as attractive molecules for treating inflammation, and in this sense, bovine lactoferrin is no exception

Efficient orthogonal matrix polynomial based method for computing matrix exponential

The matrix exponential plays a fundamental role in the solution of differential systems which appear in different science fields. This paper presents an efficient method for computing matrix exponentials based on Hermite matrix polynomial expansions. Hermite series truncation together with scaling and squaring and the application of floating point arithmetic bounds to the intermediate results provide excellent accuracy results compared with the best acknowledged computational methods. A backward-error analysis of the approximation in exact arithmetic is given. This analysis is used to provide a theoretical estimate for the optimal scaling of matrices. Two algorithms based on this method have been implemented as MATLAB functions. They have been compared with MATLAB functions funm and expm obtaining greater accuracy in the majority of tests. A careful cost comparison analysis with expm is provided showing that the proposed algorithms have lower maximum cost for some matrix norm intervals. Numerical tests show that the application of floating point arithmetic bounds to the intermediate results may reduce considerably computational costs, reaching in numerical tests relative higher average costs than expm of only 4.43% for the final Hermite selected order, and obtaining better accuracy results in the 77.36% of the test matrices. The MATLAB implementation of the best Hermite matrix polynomial based algorithm has been made available online. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This work has been supported by the Programa de Apoyo a la Investigacion y el Desarrollo of the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia PAID-05-09-4338, 2009.Sastre, J.; Ibáñez González, JJ.; Defez Candel, E.; Ruiz Martínez, PA. (2011). Efficient orthogonal matrix polynomial based method for computing matrix exponential. Applied Mathematics and Computation. 217(14):6451-6463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amc.2011.01.004S645164632171

Wild to domestic and back again: the dynamics of fallow deer management in medieval England (c.11th-16th century AD)

This paper presents the results of the first comprehensive scientific study of the fallow deer, a non-native species whose medieval-period introduction to Britain transformed the cultural landscape. It brings together data from traditional zooarchaeological analyses with those derived from new ageing techniques as well as the results of a programme of radiocarbon dating, multi-element isotope studies and genetic analyses. These new data are here integrated with historical and landscape evidence to examine changing patterns of fallow deer translocation and management in medieval England between the 11th and 16th century AD

Is Transcription Factor Binding Site Turnover a Sufficient Explanation for Cis-Regulatory Sequence Divergence?

The molecular evolution of cis-regulatory sequences is not well understood. Comparisons of closely related species show that cis-regulatory sequences contain a large number of sites constrained by purifying selection. In contrast, there are a number of examples from distantly related species where cis-regulatory sequences retain little to no sequence similarity but drive similar patterns of gene expression. Binding site turnover, whereby the gain of a redundant binding site enables loss of a previously functional site, is one model by which cis-regulatory sequences can diverge without a concurrent change in function. To determine whether cis-regulatory sequence divergence is consistent with binding site turnover, we examined binding site evolution within orthologous intergenic sequences from 14 yeast species defined by their syntenic relationships with adjacent coding sequences. Both local and global alignments show that nearly all distantly related orthologous cis-regulatory sequences have no significant level of sequence similarity but are enriched for experimentally identified binding sites. Yet, a significant proportion of experimentally identified binding sites that are conserved in closely related species are absent in distantly related species and so cannot be explained by binding site turnover. Depletion of binding sites depends on the transcription factor but is detectable for a quarter of all transcription factors examined. Our results imply that binding site turnover is not a sufficient explanation for cis-regulatory sequence evolution

An Unusual Radio Galaxy in Abell 428: A Large, Powerful FR I Source in a Disk-Dominated Host

We report the discovery of a powerful (~10^{24} Watts/Hz) FR I radio source in a highly flattened disk-dominated galaxy. Half of the radio flux from this source is concentrated within the host galaxy, with the remainder in a pair of nearly symmetrical lobes with total extent ~200kpc nearly perpendicular to the disk. The traditional wisdom maintains that powerful, extended radio sources are found only in ellipticals or recent merger events. We report B,R,J, and K imaging, optical spectroscopy, a rotation curve, an IRAS detection, and a VLA 20cm image for this galaxy, 0313-192. The optical and NIR images clearly show a disk. We detect apparent spiral arms and a dust-lane from B band imaging. The reddened nucleus is consistent with extinction by a similar dust-lane. The optical spectrum suggests a central AGN and some evidence of a starburst, with both the AGN and central starlight appearing substantially reddened. From analysis of the extended line emission in [OIII] and H-alpha we derive a rotation curve consistent with an early- type, dusty spiral seen edge-on. From the IRAS detection at 60 and 100 microns, we find that the ratio of Far IR to radio flux places this object firmly as a radio galaxy (i.e. the radio emission is not powered by star formation). The radio structure suggests that the radio source in this galaxy is related to the same physical mechanisms present in jet-fed powerful radio sources, and that such powerful, extended sources can (albeit extremely rarely) occur in a disk-dominated host.Comment: 30 pages LaTeX, 1 table, 8 postscript figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Temporal and spatial variability in stable isotope ratios of SPM link to local hydrography and longer term SPM averages suggest heavy dependence of mussels on nearshore production

Temporal changes in hydrography affect suspended particulate matter (SPM) composition and distribution in coastal systems, potentially influencing the diets of suspension feeders. Temporal variation in SPM and in the diet of the mussel Perna perna, were investigated using stable isotope analysis. The δ13C and δ15 N ratios of SPM, mussels and macroalgae were determined monthly, with SPM samples collected along a 10 km onshore–offshore transect, over 14 months at Kenton-on-Sea, on the south coast of South Africa. Clear nearshore (0 km) to offshore (10 km) carbon depletion gradients were seen in SPM during all months and extended for 50 km offshore on one occasion. Carbon enrichment of coastal SPM in winter (June–August 2004 and May 2005) indicated temporal changes in the nearshore detrital pool, presumably reflecting changes in macroalgal detritus, linked to local changes in coastal hydrography and algal seasonality. Nitrogen patterns were less clear, with SPM enrichment seen between July and October 2004 from 0 to 10 km. Nearshore SPM demonstrated cyclical patterns in carbon over 24-h periods that correlated closely with tidal cycles and mussel carbon signatures, sampled monthly, demonstrated fluctuations that could not be correlated to seasonal or monthly changes in SPM. Macroalgae showed extreme variability in isotopic signatures, with no discernable patterns. IsoSource mixing models indicated over 50% reliance of mussel tissue on nearshore carbon, highlighting the importance of nearshore SPM in mussel diet. Overall, carbon variation in SPM at both large and small temporal scales can be related to hydrographic processes, but is masked in mussels by long-term isotope integration

A genome-wide association meta-analysis of self-reported allergy identifies shared and allergy-specific susceptibility loci

Allergic disease is very common and carries substantial public-health burdens. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide associations with self-reported cat, dust-mite and pollen allergies in 53,862 individuals. We used generalized estimating equations to model shared and allergy-specific genetic effects. We identified 16 shared susceptibility loci with association P < 5 × 10-8, including 8 loci previously associated with asthma, as well as 4p14 near TLR1, TLR6 and TLR10 (rs2101521, P = 5.3 × 10 -21); 6p21.33 near HLA-C and MICA (rs9266772, P = 3.2 × 10 -12); 5p13.1 near PTGER4 (rs7720838, P = 8.2 × 10 -11); 2q33.1 in PLCL1 (rs10497813, P = 6.1 × 10-10), 3q28 in LPP (rs9860547, P = 1.2 × 10-9); 20q13.2 in NFATC2 (rs6021270, P = 6.9 × 10-9), 4q27 in ADAD1 (rs17388568, P = 3.9 × 10-8); and 14q21.1 near FOXA1 and TTC6 (rs1998359, P = 4.8 × 10-8). We identified one locus with substantial evidence of differences in effects across allergies at 6p21.32 in the class II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region (rs17533090, P = 1.7 × 10-12), which was strongly associated with cat allergy. Our study sheds new light on the shared etiology of immune and autoimmune disease