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Performance arts can benefit people with acquired brain injury (ABI). This study explored the online delivery during COVID-19 restrictions, of a performance art intervention through the experiences of participants, artists and facilitators. Two community-based programmes were delivered. Online ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews with participants, artists and facilitators were completed. The programmes benefited participants by addressing loneliness and isolation; building confidence through peer support; improving physical limitations through movement; improving communication through music and vocal work; and using poetry, visual arts, metaphor and performance to make sense of participants' experiences. Participants had mixed experiences of participation, but it was an acceptable alternative to in-person arts interventions for those who overcame digital challenges. ABI survivors can engage in online performance art programmes and find participation valuable for their health, well-being, and recovery. More work is needed to explore the generalisability of these findings, especially given digital poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snakes are limbless predators, and many species use venom to help overpower relatively large, agile prey. Snake venoms are complex protein mixtures encoded by several multilocus gene families that function synergistically to cause incapacitation. To examine venom evolution, we sequenced and interrogated the genome of a venomous snake, the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), and compared it, together with our unique transcriptome, microRNA, and proteome datasets from this species, with data from other vertebrates. In contrast to the platypus, the only other venomous vertebrate with a sequenced genome, we find that snake toxin genes evolve through several distinct co-option mechanisms and exhibit surprisingly variable levels of gene duplication and directional selection that correlate with their functional importance in prey capture. The enigmatic accessory venom gland shows a very different pattern of toxin gene expression from the main venom gland and seems to have recruited toxin-like lectin genes repeatedly for new nontoxic functions. In addition, tissue-specific microRNA analyses suggested the co-option of core genetic regulatory components of the venom secretory system from a pancreatic origin. Although the king cobra is limbless, we recovered coding sequences for all Hox genes involved in amniote limb development, with the exception of Hoxd12. Our results provide a unique view of the origin and evolution of snake venom and reveal multiple genome-level adaptive responses to natural selection in this complex biological weapon system. More generally, they provide insight into mechanisms of protein evolution under strong selection.

Many advanced snakes use fangs--specialized teeth associated with a venom gland (1,2)--to introduce venom into prey or attacker. Various front- and rear-fanged groups are recognized, according to whether their fangs [...]

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a nationally acclaimed writer and political analyst. He has authored ten books, and his articles are published in newspapers and magazines across the United States. As a social and political analyst, he often appears on such networks as CNN, MSNBC, NPR, American Urban Radio Network, and local Los Angeles television and radio stations. He is an associate editor at New America Media and a regular contributor to BlackNews.com, Alternet.org, BlackAmericaWeb.com and the Huffington Post. He also does a weekly commentary on KJLH Radio in Los Angeles. Anthony Woods of the Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy interviewed Earl Ofari Hutchinson on 2 February 2007., HJAAP How would you characterize the relationship between the African American and Latino communities in Southern California? HUTCHINSON When you look at Black/Latino relations, it is really a mixed bag. [...]

The heterometallic Sb(III)/Li cage complex [[{Sb[(P-t-Bu).sub.3]}.sub.2][Li.sub.6] * 6THF] (1) is obtained by the low-temperature (<0[degrees]C) reaction of Sb[(N[Me.sub.2]).sub.3] with t-BuPHLi (1:3 equiv) in THF. Thermolysis of this reaction solution leads to the formation of the bicyclic distibane [[[(t-BuP).sub.3][Sb].sub.2]] (2). [sup.31]P NMR spectroscopic studies reveal that this process involves initial formation of [[(t-Bu[P).sub.3][Sb].sup.-]] and [[t-Bu(H)PP-t-Bu].sup.-] anions. Complexes 1 and 2 have been characterized in the solid state by X-ray diffraction studies. Key words: antimony, lithium, cage.

Research has been conducted on the tin(II) imido cubanes. The reaction of 2-pyridyl and 2-pyrimidinyl amines carried out in producing mixed-oxidatio0state tin(II)/tin(IV) double cubanes is described.

Electrical stimulation has been shown to induce the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis via the sympathetic innervation of the interscapular BAT (IBAT) temperature. However, little is known about the mechanisms involved in the inhibition of BAT activity. Herein, rat oxygen consumption was measured in both phase one and phase two of IBAT temperature during stimulation of the ventromedial hypothalamus. There was a marked reduction in IBAT capillary blood flow during phase one. This was attributed to the release of neuropeptides, which diverted the flow of blood away from IBAT capillaries.

Studies on brown adipose tissue response to hypothalamic stimulation in rats suggests that the initial phase 1 reduction in interscapular brown adipose tissue temperature (IBAT) is mediated through dopaminergic pathways. Amphetamine injections to the intracerebroventricular regions produce reduced IBAT temperatures resembling phase 1 phenomena. The injection of pimozide suppresses phase 1, reinforcing the role of dopaminergic mechanisms in the process.