The effects of phorbol esters with different activities on protein kinase C

The sapintoxins are a series of naturally occurring fluorescent phorbol esters with a range of selective biological activities (e.g. pro-inflammatory but non-tumour promoting). Their ability to activate protein kinase C (PKC) in vitro has been studied. Both tumour promoting and non-promoting phorbol derivatives activate the enzyme in vitro at low concentrations. 12-deoxyphorbol-13-phenylacetate-20 acetate (DOPPA) acts as a partial agonist in the activation of protein kinase C. Structurally distinct phorbol esters may therefore preferentially activate different forms of protein kinase C. -sapinine, a biologically inactive compound, binds to protein kinase C without stimulating the enzyme and prevents subsequent activation by phorbol esters such as 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA).

Visual motion interferes with lexical decision on motion words

Embodied theories of cognition propose that neural substrates used in experiencing the referent of a word, for example perceiving upward motion, should be engaged in weaker form when that word, for example ‘rise’, is comprehended. Motivated by the finding that the perception of irrelevant background motion at near-threshold, but not supra-threshold, levels interferes with task execution, we assessed whether interference from near-threshold background motion was modulated by its congruence with the meaning of words (semantic content) when participants completed a lexical decision task (deciding if a string of letters is a real word or not). Reaction times for motion words, such as ‘rise’ or ‘fall’, were slower when the direction of visual motion and the ‘motion’ of the word were incongruent — but only when the visual motion was at nearthreshold levels. When motion was supra-threshold, the distribution of error rates, not reaction times, implicated low-level motion processing in the semantic processing of motion words. As the perception of near-threshold signals is not likely to be influenced by strategies, our results support a close contact between semantic information and perceptual systems.

Evaluating the potential for statistical decadal predictions of sea surface temperatures with a perfect model approach

We explore the potential for making statistical decadal predictions of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in a perfect model analysis, with a focus on the Atlantic basin. Various statistical methods (Lagged correlations, Linear Inverse Modelling and Constructed Analogue) are found to have significant skill in predicting the internal variability of Atlantic SSTs for up to a decade ahead in control integrations of two different global climate models (GCMs), namely HadCM3 and HadGEM1. Statistical methods which consider non-local information tend to perform best, but which is the most successful statistical method depends on the region considered, GCM data used and prediction lead time. However, the Constructed Analogue method tends to have the highest skill at longer lead times. Importantly, the regions of greatest prediction skill can be very different to regions identified as potentially predictable from variance explained arguments. This finding suggests that significant local decadal variability is not necessarily a prerequisite for skillful decadal predictions, and that the statistical methods are capturing some of the dynamics of low-frequency SST evolution. In particular, using data from HadGEM1, significant skill at lead times of 6–10 years is found in the tropical North Atlantic, a region with relatively little decadal variability compared to interannual variability. This skill appears to come from reconstructing the SSTs in the far north Atlantic, suggesting that the more northern latitudes are optimal for SST observations to improve predictions. We additionally explore whether adding sub-surface temperature data improves these decadal statistical predictions, and find that, again, it depends on the region, prediction lead time and GCM data used. Overall, we argue that the estimated prediction skill motivates the further development of statistical decadal predictions of SSTs as a benchmark for current and future GCM-based decadal climate predictions.

The general observation period 2007 within the priority program on quantitative precipitation forecasting: concept and first results

In the year 2007 a General Observation Period (GOP) has been performed within the German Priority Program on Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting (PQP). By optimizing the use of existing instrumentation a large data set of in-situ and remote sensing instruments with special focus on water cycle variables was gathered over the full year cycle. The area of interest covered central Europe with increasing focus towards the Black Forest where the Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study (COPS) took place from June to August 2007. Thus the GOP includes a variety of precipitation systems in order to relate the COPS results to a larger spatial scale. For a timely use of the data, forecasts of the numerical weather prediction models COSMO-EU and COSMO-DE of the German Meteorological Service were tailored to match the observations and perform model evaluation in a near real-time environment. The ultimate goal is to identify and distinguish between different kinds of model deficits and to improve process understanding.

Prêt-à-Médiatiser by House of POLLYFIBRE

Prêt-à-Médiatiser by House of POLLYFIBRE is a performance/film that takes the fashion show catwalk as a site for exploration, with a focus on the dialogue between liveness and mediatisation. The performance showcases a clothing collection that has been designed to be documented and thus is challenged in the context of the live event. Motivated by the 2-dimensionality and biased perspective of mediated images such as magazine photography, social network profiles images and the surfaces of digital interfaces, the garments are one sided and obstruct the models in their attempt to play out familiar fashion poses, unless they align themselves 'correctly' for the lense. There is material metaphor and wordplay throughout, for example the clothing pieces are made from interfacing fabrics that are physically cut, pasted and layered to create the rigid flat silhouettes. The performance is accompanied by live sound created by tools of the fashion industry (including scissors and camera clicks) that have been adapted and amplified to be used as instruments. The audience and press are invited to document the live event and the subsequent film is made using footage collated from the crew, the audience and the official press

Prêt-à-Médiatiser by House of POLLYFIBRE

Prêt-à-Médiatiser by House of POLLYFIBRE is a film made from diverse footage of a performance. The live event takes the fashion show catwalk as a site for exploration, with a focus on the dialogue between liveness and mediatisation. The audience and press are invited to document the event and the subsequent film is made using footage collated from the crew, the audience and the official press. RAPID PULSE International Performance Festival presents international, national, and local artists who were invited or selected from an international call for proposals. The curatorial committee consisted of Julie Laffin, Steven Bridges, Giana Gambino, And Joseph Ravens. The festival includes live gallery performances, public performances, a video series, social events, artist talks and panel discussions.

Toeplitz operators with distributional symbols on Bergman spaces

We study the boundedness and compactness of Toeplitz operators Ta on Bergman spaces , 1 < p < ∞. The novelty is that we allow distributional symbols. It turns out that the belonging of the symbol to a weighted Sobolev space of negative order is sufficient for the boundedness of Ta. We show the natural relation of the hyperbolic geometry of the disc and the order of the distribution. A corresponding sufficient condition for the compactness is also derived.

Measuring significant variability characteristics: An assessment of three UK renewables

The variability of renewable energy is widely recognised as a challenge for integrating high levels of renewable generation into electricity systems. However, to explore its implications effectively, variability itself should first be clearly understood. This is particularly true for national electricity systems with high planned penetration of renewables and limited interconnection such as the UK. Variability cannot be considered as a distinct resource property with a single measurable parameter, but is a multi-faceted concept best described by a range of distinct characteristics. This paper identifies relevant characteristics of variability, and considers their implications for energy research. This is done through analysis of wind, solar and tidal current resources, with a primary focus on the Bristol Channel region in the UK. The relationship with electricity demand is considered, alongside the potential benefits of resource diversity. Analysis is presented in terms of persistence, distribution, frequency and correlation between supply and demand. Marked differences are seen between the behaviours of the individual resources, and these give rise to a range of different implications for system integration. Wind shows strong persistence and a useful seasonal pattern, but also a high spread in energy levels at timescales beyond one or two days. The solar resource is most closely correlated with electricity demand, but is undermined by night-time zero values and an even greater spread of monthly energy delivered than wind. In contrast, the tidal resource exhibits very low persistence, but also much greater consistency in energy values assessed across monthly time scales. Whilst this paper focuses primarily on the behaviour of resources, it is noted that discrete variability characteristics can be related to different system impacts. Persistence and predictability are relevant for system balancing, whereas statistical distribution is more relevant when exploring issues of asset utilisation and energy curtailment. Areas of further research are also identified, including the need to assess the value of predictability in relation to other characteristics.