From the mid-1990s onwards, the humanities and social sciences have devoted a great deal of attention to the operations of the affects, and there has been much talk about "the affective turn". This article begins by looking at the impact of that phenomenon on scholarly and critical work on T. S. Eliot, a milder impact than one might have expected. It then goes on to investigate the interplay of em

The stability of accelerated electron beams produced by self injection of plasma electrons into the wakefield driven by a laser pulse guided inside capillary tubes is analyzed statistically in relation to laser and plasma parameters, and compared to results obtained in a gas jet. The analysis shows that reproducible electron beams are achieved with a charge of 66 pC +/- 11%, a FWHM beam divergence

Fluids of spherical colloids possessing an off-centered embedded magnetic dipole were investigated by using Monte Carlo simulations. Systems of colloids with different strengths and directions of the embedded dipole moment confined in a 2D space without and with an external magnetic field applied were considered. The fluids were characterized by radial distribution functions, angular distribution

Selection on proteins is typically measured with the assumption that each protein acts independently. However, selection more likely acts at higher levels of biological organization, requiring an integrative view of protein function. Here, we built a kinetic model for de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to relate pathway function to selective pressures on individu

Based on an interview with a hip-hop artist from Eastern Poland, this article critically assesses amateur art pro-duction proliferating throughout the globe today through individuals’ creative usages of new ICTs and new media affordances. The post-Fordist material and ideological context of contemporary social life is the main focus point of the article’s critique. Scarcity, dispossession, and ent

Sphingomyelin (SM) is a sphingolipid present in all eukaryotic cell membranes. Hydrolysis of SM by sphingomyelinase (SMase) generates ceramide, which has effects on cell-cycle regulation and apoptosis. Alkaline sphingomyelinase (Alk-SMase) is the main SM-hydrolysing enzyme in the human intestine, and earlier studies have shown that it has anti-proliferative properties on colon cancer cells, and th

Background: A delay in surgical nerve repair results in impaired nerve function in humans, but mechanisms behind the weakened nerve regeneration are not known. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) increases the intrinsic growth state of injured neurons early after injury, but the role of long-term changes and their relation to axonal outgrowth after a delayed nerve repair are not well understo

Background: Renalase (gene name RNLS), a recently discovered enzyme with monoamine oxidase activity, is implicated in the degradation of catecholamines. Recent studies delineate a possible role of this enzyme in blood pressure (BP) maintenance and cardiac protection and two single nucleotide polymorphisms, RNLS rs2576178 A > G and rs2296545 C > G have been associated with hypertension. The latter

Ecology is a leading discipline in the synthesis of diverse knowledge. Ecologists have had considerable experience in bringing together diverse, multinational data sets, disciplines, and cultural perspectives to address a wide range of issues in basic and applied science. Now is the time to build on this foundation and invest in ecological synthesis through new national or international programs.

A perhydrolase, immobilized as a cross linked enzyme aggregate (CLEA), was employed to catalyze the in situ formation of peracetic acid (PAA) from ethylene glycol diacetate (EGDA) and hydrogen peroxide. The produced PAA was used for the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclohexanone, which afforded caprolactone in 63 % yield. The effect of type and amount of acyl donor, solvent, pH, temperature and ra

The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary similar to 65.5 million years ago marks one of the three largest mass extinctions in the past 500 million years. The extinction event coincided with a large asteroid impact at Chicxulub, Mexico, and occurred within the time of Deccan flood basalt volcanism in India. Here, we synthesize records of the global stratigraphy across this boundary to assess the proposed

Recent studies indicate that defective activity of complement factor H (FH) is associated with several human diseases, suggesting that pure FH may be used for therapy. Here, we describe a simple method to isolate human FH, based on the specific interaction between FH and the hypervariable region (HVR) of certain Streptococcus pyogenes M proteins. Special interest was focused on the FH polymorphism

Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of many neurological disorders has been greatly enhanced by the discovery of mutations in genes linked to familial forms of these diseases. These have facilitated the generation of cell and animal models that can be used to understand the underlying molecular pathology. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the use of patient-derived cells, d

There is an urgent need for biomarkers in plasma to identify Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has previously been shown that a signature of 18 plasma proteins can identify AD during pre-dementia and dementia stages (Ray et al, Nature Medicine, 2007). We quantified the same 18 proteins in plasma from 174 controls, 142 patients with AD, and 88 patients with other dementias. Only three of these proteins

A building-integrated multifunctional PV/T solar window has been developed and evaluated. It is constructed of PV cells laminated on solar absorbers placed in a window behind the glazing. To reduce the cost of the solar electricity, tiltable reflectors have been introduced in the construction to focus radiation onto the solar cells. The reflectors render the possibility of controlling the amount o