324,067 research outputs found
Combustion and Society: A Fire-Centred History of Energy Use
No full textFire is a force that links everyday human activities to some of the most powerful energetic movements of the Earth. Drawing together the energy-centred social theory of Georges Bataille, the fire-centred environmental history of Stephen Pyne, and the work of a number of ‘pyrotechnology’ scholars, the paper proposes that the generalized study of combustion is a key to contextualizing human energetic practices within a broader ‘economy’ of terrestrial and cosmic energy flows. We examine the relatively recent turn towards fossil-fuelled ‘internal combustion’ in the light of a much longer human history of ‘broadcast’ burning of vegetation and of artisanal pyrotechnologies – the use of heat to transform diverse materials. A combustion-centred analysis, it is argued, brings human collective life into closer contact with the geochemical and geologic conditions of earthly existence, while also pointing to the significance of explorative, experimental and even playful dispositions towards energy and matter. © 2014, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved
Pyne, P L, NX2766
No full textThis record was harvested from a previous catalogue system and will be withdrawn in 2025. Information in this record may be superseded or incomplete. Visit this record in UMA's new catalogue at: https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/nodes/view/412010Surname: PYNE. Given Name(s) or Initials: P L. Military Service Number or Last Known Location: NX2766. Missing, Wounded and Prisoner of War Enquiry Card Index Number: 40400.227886
Item: [2016.0049.44274] "Pyne, P L, NX2766
Derandomizing Logspace with a Small Shared Hard Drive
No full textWe obtain new catalytic algorithms for space-bounded derandomization. In the catalytic computation model introduced by (Buhrman, Cleve, Koucký, Loff, and Speelman STOC 2013), we are given a small worktape, and a larger catalytic tape that has an arbitrary initial configuration. We may edit this tape, but it must be exactly restored to its initial configuration at the completion of the computation. We prove that BPSPACE[S] ⊆ CSPACE[S,S²] where BPSPACE[S] corresponds to randomized space S computation, and CSPACE[S,C] corresponds to catalytic algorithms that use O(S) bits of workspace and O(C) bits of catalytic space. Previously, only BPSPACE[S] ⊆ CSPACE[S,2^O(S)] was known. In fact, we prove a general tradeoff, that for every α ∈ [1,1.5], BPSPACE[S] ⊆ CSPACE[S^α,S^(3-α)]. We do not use the algebraic techniques of prior work on catalytic computation. Instead, we develop an algorithm that branches based on if the catalytic tape is conditionally random, and instantiate this primitive in a recursive framework. Our result gives an alternate proof of the best known time-space tradeoff for BPSPACE[S], due to (Cai, Chakaravarthy, and van Melkebeek, Theory Comput. Sys. 2006). As a final application, we extend our results to solve search problems in CSPACE[S,S²]. As far as we are aware, this constitutes the first study of search problems in the catalytic computing model
Bradykinin-stimulated phosphatidate and 1,2-diacylglycerol accumulation in guinea-pig airway smooth muscle: evidence for regulation 'down-stream' of phospholipases
No full textBradykinin-treatment of cultured airway smooth muscle (ASM) induced the formation of [3H]1,2-diacylglycerol ([3H]1,2-DG), [3H]1,3-diacylglycerol ([3H]1,3-DG) and [3H]phosphatidic acid ([3H]PtdOH) in [3H]palmitate-labelled cells and of [3H]choline in [3H]methyl choline-labelled cells. [3H]1,2-DG and [3H]1,3-DG responses were biphasic with an initial transient phase from 0-2 min and a second sustained phase to 10 min. In contrast, [3H]PtdOH accumulation plateaued at 2 min stimulation as did [3H]choline formation. The bradykinin-stimulated [3H]1,2-DG and [3H]PtdOH responses exhibited similar concentration dependencies (EC50 values: [3H]1,2-DG 5.14 +/- 2.82 nM; [3H]1,3-DG 4.95 +/- 1.12 nM; [3H]PtdOH 1.52 +/- 0.82 nM). In contrast, PMA elicited a [3H]PtdOH response, but was without effect upon [3H]DG levels. Bradykinin-induced accumulation of [3H]1,2-DG and [3H]PtdOH was insensitive to blockade by a bradykinin B2-receptor antagonist, NPC567 (40 microM) and the B1-receptor agonist, Des-Arg9-bradykinin, (10 microM) failed to elicit a response. These observations are similar to those obtained previously for bradykinin-stimulated phospholipase D activity in ASM (Pyne S. and Pyne N. J., Br. J. Pharmac. 110, 477-481, 1993). Thus, both bradykinin-stimulated 1,2-DG and PtdOH accumulation may also be regulated via a novel B3-receptor. Bradykinin-stimulated formation of [3H]PtdOH was partially inhibited by butan-1-ol (by 47.25 +/- 12.7%, n = 3) which had no effect upon basal or bradykinin-stimulated levels of [3H]1,2-DG or upon basal [3H]PtdOH
Role of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors, sphingosine kinases and sphingosine in cancer and inflammation
No full textSphingosine kinase (there are two isoforms, SK1 and SK2) catalyses the formation of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid that can be released from cells to activate a family of G protein-coupled receptors, termed S1P1-5. In addition, S1P can bind to intracellular target proteins, such as HDAC1/2, to induce cell responses. There is increasing evidence of a role for S1P receptors (e.g. S1P4) and SK1 in cancer, where high expression of these proteins in ER negative breast cancer patient tumours is linked with poor prognosis. Indeed, evidence will be presented here to demonstrate that S1P4 is functionally linked with SK1 and the oncogene HER2 (ErbB2) to regulate mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways and growth of breast cancer cells. Although much emphasis is placed on SK1 in terms of involvement in oncogenesis, evidence will also be presented for a role of SK2 in both T-cell and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In patient T-ALL lymphoblasts and T-ALL cell lines, we have demonstrated that SK2 inhibitors promote T-ALL cell death via autophagy and induce suppression of c-myc and PI3K/AKT pathways. We will also present evidence demonstrating that certain SK inhibitors promote oxidative stress and protein turnover via proteasomal degradative pathways linked with induction of p53-and p21-induced growth arrest. In addition, the SK1 inhibitor, PF-543 exacerbates disease progression in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse model indicating that SK1 functions in an anti-inflammatory manner. Indeed, sphingosine, which accumulates upon inhibition of SK1 activity, and sphingosine-like compounds promote activation of the inflammasome, which is linked with multiple sclerosis, to stimulate formation of the pro-inflammatory mediator, IL-1β. Such compounds could be exploited to produce antagonists that diminish exaggerated inflammation in disease. The therapeutic potential of modifying the SK-S1P receptor pathway in cancer and inflammation will therefore, be reviewed
Stephen J. Pyne, Ogenj: Narava in kultura
No full textStephen J. Pyne, rojen leta 1949, je zaslužni profesor arizonske državne univerze v pokoju, specializiran za zgodovino okolja, natančneje za zgodovino ognja in požarov. Z 18. letom je postal član prostovoljne gasilske ekipe, kar ga je vodilo k znanstvenemu raziskovanju ognja. Danes velja za vodilnega strokovnjaka na dotičnem področju, k problematiki pa pristopa tako z naravoslovnega kot s humanističnega vidika. Izdal je mnogo knjig o zgodovini ognja in požarov po različnih delih sveta (npr. v Ameriki, Avstraliji, Evropi in Kanadi), v knjigi Ogenj. Narava in kultura, izdani leta 2012, pa se raziskovanja tematike loti pregledno in splošno, s poudarkom na antropološki dimenziji ognja. Delo je v slovenščino prevedel Marko Kržan, izdano je bilo leta 2021, spremno študijo pa je prispeval Bojan Baskar.Stephen J. Pyne, rojen leta 1949, je zaslužni profesor arizonske državne univerze v pokoju, specializiran za zgodovino okolja, natančneje za zgodovino ognja in požarov. Z 18. letom je postal član prostovoljne gasilske ekipe, kar ga je vodilo k znanstvenemu raziskovanju ognja. Danes velja za vodilnega strokovnjaka na dotičnem področju, k problematiki pa pristopa tako z naravoslovnega kot s humanističnega vidika. Izdal je mnogo knjig o zgodovini ognja in požarov po različnih delih sveta (npr. v Ameriki, Avstraliji, Evropi in Kanadi), v knjigi Ogenj. Narava in kultura, izdani leta 2012, pa se raziskovanja tematike loti pregledno in splošno, s poudarkom na antropološki dimenziji ognja. Delo je v slovenščino prevedel Marko Kržan, izdano je bilo leta 2021, spremno študijo pa je prispeval Bojan Baskar
Catalytic Communication
No full textThe study of space-bounded computation has drawn extensively from ideas and results in the field of communication complexity. Catalytic Computation (Buhrman, Cleve, Koucký, Loff and Speelman, STOC 2013) studies the power of bounded space augmented with a pre-filled hard drive that can be used non-destructively during the computation. Presently, many structural questions in this model remain open. Towards a better understanding of catalytic space, we define a model of catalytic communication complexity and prove new upper and lower bounds.
In our model, Alice and Bob share a blackboard with a tiny number of free bits, and a larger section with an arbitrary initial configuration. They must jointly compute a function of their inputs, communicating only via the blackboard, and must always reset the blackboard to its initial configuration. We prove several upper and lower bounds:
1) We characterize the simplest nontrivial model, that of one bit of free space and three rounds, in terms of ₂ rank. In particular, we give natural problems that are solvable with a minimal-sized blackboard that require near-maximal (randomized) communication complexity, and vice versa.
2) We show that allowing constantly many free bits, as opposed to one, allows an exponential improvement on the size of the blackboard for natural problems. To do so, we connect the problem to existence questions in extremal graph theory.
3) We give tight connections between our model and standard notions of non-uniform catalytic computation. Using this connection, we show that with an arbitrary constant number of rounds and bits of free space, one can compute all functions in TC⁰. We view this model as a step toward understanding the value of filled space in computation
Phosphorylation of the recombinant spliced variants of the alpha-sub-unit of the stimulatory guanine-nucleotide binding regulatory protein (Gs) by the catalytic sub-unit of protein kinase A
No full textBoth GS alpha-1 and GS alpha-4 were phosphorylated by the purified catalytic sub-unit of protein kinase A. Phosphate incorporation into 220 pmol and 190 pmol of GS alpha-4 and GS alpha-1 after a 1 hour incubation with kinase was 14 pmol and 10 pmol, respectively. These low levels of phosphorylation are due to the thermal lability of purified recombinant GS alpha. However, the phosphorylation was inhibited by guanine nucleotides (GDP-beta-S, GppNHp and GTP) and is, therefore, a specific event. We suggest that, as for GS alpha phosphorylation by protein kinase C (Pyne et al., 1992), the guanine nucleotide-free form of GS alpha is the most likely substrate. Guanine-nucleotides reduce the lifetime and, therefore availability for phosphorylation, of guanine-nucleotide free GS alpha. GS alpha phosphorylation by protein kinase A in vitro provides preliminary evidence that a similar phosphorylation of GS alpha may be an important regulatory event in cells
Application of mixture models to large datasets
No full textMixture distributions are commonly being applied for modelling and for discriminant and cluster analyses in a wide variety of situations. We first consider normal and t-mixture models. As they are highly parameterized, we review methods to enable them to be fitted to large datasets involving many observations and variables. Attention is then given to extensions of these mixture models to mixtures with skew normal and skew t-distributions for the segmentation of data into clusters of non-elliptical shape. The focus is then on the latter models in conjunction with the JCM (joint clustering and matching) procedure for an automated approach to the clustering of cells in a sample in flow cytometry where a large number of cells and their associated markers have been measured. For a class of multiple samples, we consider the use of JCM for matching the sample-specific clusters across the samples in the class and for improving the clustering of each individual sample. The supervised classification of a sample is also considered in the case where there are different classes of samples corresponding, for example, to different outcomes or treatment strategies for patients undergoing medical screening or treatment
Therapeutic potential of targeting sphingosine kinases and sphingosine 1-phosphate in hematological malignancies
No full textSphingolipids, such as ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) are bioactive molecules that have important functions in a variety of cellular processes, which include proliferation, survival, differentiation and cellular responses to stress. Sphingolipids have a major impact on the determination of cell fate by contributing to either cell survival or death. Although ceramide and sphingosine are usually considered to induce cell death, S1P promotes survival of cells. Sphingosine kinases (SPHKs) are the enzymes that catalyze the conversion of sphingosine to S1P. There are two isoforms, SPHK1 and SPHK2, which are encoded by different genes. SPHK1 has recently been implicated in contributing to cell transformation, tumor angiogenesis and metastatic spread, as well as cancer cell multidrug-resistance. More recent findings suggest that SPHK2 also has a role in cancer progression. This review is an overview of our understanding of the role of SPHKs and S1P in hematopoietic malignancies and provides information on the current status of SPHK inhibitors with respect to their therapeutic potential in the treatment of hematological cancers
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