A Review of Zoom interactive performance, 'Helping Hands': process, distress, success and who was helped.

Intervention for Russell Anderson’s work-in-progress Interactive Zoom theatre performance conducted on 6th August 2021 at 1:00 pm (U.K time), for a PhD thesis at Oxford Brooke's University was called 'Helping Hands'. Exploration and involvement of socio-digital options in Zoom theatre performativity, invokes questioning the adaptive process, distress and success as well as whom are we helping by being involved? Are we helping the company hosting the Zoom application, digital-theatre experimenters, the characters in the play, real people with similar socio-political problems as depicted in the play, ourselves or Russell Anderson? My personal experience and observations, beginning from receiving the digital mail invitation and background information of the performance, until the discussion about the work, in the end will be narrated with critical observations on each character's role and background, audio-visual spectrum, additional software and applications used, spect-actorship and employment of the break-out room feature of the Zoom application. The referenced theatre genres and probable methodologies employed in structuring the performance will be discussed by referring to Sir Andersons personal notes on the matter. The emotions and doubts, particularly that of whom I was helping, during the performance will be addressed in terms of the nature of the interactive, hyperdrama’s structure and the overall effect that it influenced. Its outcome will be critically compared with observations made by other scholarly reviewers on other Zoom adaptive performances, namely, Karen by The Transit Ensemble, Newspaper Theatre workshop by Seattle Rep, The Belle’s Stratagem by Red Bull Theatre, Time Machine by Creation Theatre and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by CtrlAlt_Repeat, while addressing Interaction, communication, mediatization and liveness in digital theatre.

Quercetin Alleviates Red Bull Energy Drink-Induced Cerebral Cortex Neurotoxicity via Modulation of Nrf2 and HO-1

The current work was aimed at evaluating the ameliorative role of quercetin (QR) on the possible toxicity of Red Bull energy drink (RB-Ed) in the cerebral cortex of rats. To achieve the goal, the rats were allocated into 4 groups. The first group received distilled water as control. Groups II and III were given Red Bull energy drink alone and in combination with quercetin, respectively. The fourth group served as recovery to group II. The experimental duration was four weeks for all groups whereas the recovery period of group IV was two weeks. QR upregulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) genes, which can protect against RB-Ed neurotoxicity. Moreover, by reducing the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance and increasing the total antioxidant capacity levels, QR protected rats’ cerebral cortex against Red Bull energy drink-induced oxidative damage. Quercetin also inhibited RB-Ed-induced histomorphological degeneration which was confirmed by the increase in the intact neurons and the rise in the neuron-specific enolase immunoreaction. QR increased the reduction of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor that was elicited by RB-Ed and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent by reducing the proinflammatory marker, interleukin 1 beta and DNA damage markers, heat shock protein 70, and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine. It could be concluded that the alleviating impacts of QR on RB-Ed neurotoxicity in rats could be related to the modulation of Nrf2 and HO-1 which in turn affects the redox status.

Kinematic analysis of Felix Baumgartner's stratospheric jump in 2012

The present investigation shows a kinematic analysis of Baumgartner’s stratospheric jump, based on a scientific report by Red Bull. The modeling was carried out using the different forces that intervened in the event (velocity, acceleration, etc.), making it possible to generate a mathematical model capable of extrapolating data and allowing us a better appreciation of such scientific achievement. All the mathematical exploration has been carried out with ten decimal places; however, they will be rounded to four in writing. The action plan was based on obtaining the velocities by placing points on a velocity model belonging to an approximate graph of a Red Bull scientific report, which was put into the GeoGebra Classic 5 program to find the velocities. After this, we proceeded to find the accelerations and the formula of the function that models them. Finally, this formula was integrated to acquire the mathematical model of the velocities.

Gastón Gabarró. 2019. Un hijo de la rosa de los vientos. Santiago: Autoedición, 246 pp.

Tres álbumes le bastaron a Makiza para convertirse en uno de los grupos más emblemáticos en la historia del rap/hip-hop en Chile. Fue durante las postrimerías de los años noventa que Makiza se posicionó como una de las agrupaciones más destacadas de tanto la escena del hip-hop como de la musical chilena en general. “La rosa de los vientos”, “En Paro”, “In loco parentis”, entre otros hits, probablemente han formado parte de las playlists de hiphoperos chilenos de distintas edades, y también de un público que no necesariamente se identifica con esta cultura musical de origen norteamericano. El legado de Makiza parece acrecentarse ante el hecho que desde sus filas surgieron figuras que en la actualidad marcan tendencia en lo que respecta al hip-hop en Chile: Ana Tijoux y su celebrada carrera como solista a nivel nacional e internacional, y Seo2, el host o animador oficial de Red Bull Batalla de los Gallos. Pese al inexorable paso del tiempo, Makiza es un nombre que sigue rondando en los espacios y rimas del hip-hop chileno.Continuar leyendo www.instagram.com/p/CLUva3bJClb/

Chronic Red Bull Consumption during Adolescence: Effect on Mesocortical and Mesolimbic Dopamine Transmission and Cardiovascular System in Adult Rats

Energy drinks are very popular nonalcoholic beverages among adolescents and young adults for their stimulant effects. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of repeated intraoral Red Bull (RB) infusion on dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell and core and in the medial prefrontal cortex and on cardiac contractility in adult rats exposed to chronic RB consumption. Rats were subjected to 4 weeks of RB voluntary consumption from adolescence to adulthood. Monitoring of in vivo dopamine was carried out by brain microdialysis. In vitro cardiac contractility was studied on biomechanical properties of isolated left-ventricular papillary muscle. The main finding of the study was that, in treated animals, RB increased shell dopamine via a nonadaptive mechanism, a pattern similar to that of drugs of abuse. No changes in isometric and isotonic mechanical parameters were associated with chronic RB consumption. However, a prolonged time to peak tension and half-time of relaxation and a slower peak rate of tension fall were observed in RB-treated rats. It is likely that RB treatment affects left-ventricular papillary muscle contraction. The neurochemical results here obtained can explain the addictive properties of RB, while the cardiovascular investigation findings suggest a hidden papillary contractility impairment.

El hombre híbrido

El mundo contemporáneo lleva a la incapacidad absoluta para describir, en términos ontológicamente adecuados, fenómenos culturales tales como obras de arte, herramientas, signos, máquinas y todo otro tipo de artefactos, ya que son por su propia constitución,híbridos. El mundo se ha convertido en el no lugar de la existencia humana: es el lugar artificial de la existencia, de la cohabitación y de la posibilidad de transformación del cuerpo. Por ello, el objeto de análisis del artículo responde al estudio del cuerpo, la subjetividad y su relación con la tecnología. Lo mencionado se aborda a partir de la observación de la narrativa del audiovisual Señorita María, la falda de la montaña, dirigido por Rubén Mendoza (2017), desde la perspectiva homeotecnológicaplanteada por Sloterdijk (2006). Y, por otro lado, a partir de la observación de la narrativa publicitaria de los comerciales de Red Bull entre 2010 y 2020, se aborda el cuerpo-envejecimiento y su relación con la tecnología desde la perspectiva de Le Bretón (2002) y Redeker (2014). El artículo presenta algunos resultados preliminares que se discuten en los siguientes apartados: 1- La homeotecnología en el ámbito de la subjetividad, el yo que piensa y siente, que vive y muere en la narrativa audiovisual. 2- El fantasma de la inmortalidad y la soledad. Las narrativas publicitarias de la seducción.

Ankle complex musculature adaptations after Energy Drinks consumption in healthy young adult

Over the past few years, energy drink consumption has increased among students aged 18–34 years. Energy drinks alter the balance, reduce blood flow and interfere with neuromuscular activation in the lower extremities. We attempted to determine which specific additive of three different drinks (red bull, rockstar, and bang) could contribute to changes in muscle activation of the ankle complex. Twenty healthy young adults aged 22–28 years were included in this study and allocated among 3 groups, red bull, rockstar, and bang. Neuromuscular data were obtained from EMG sensors positioned on the anterior tibialis and gastrocnemius before completing the four balance tasks. Each participant completed all the tasks before and after the 16-ounce Edrink. ANOVA was performed to compare the data before and after the beverage. Statistical significance was set at P <0.05. A trend was observed in red bull and bang groups revealing a faster anterior tibial activity and prolong activation for gastrocnemius. The rockstar group also showed a more rapid activation trend and shorter response during all tasks for the gastrocnemius. It appears that the additives found in Redbull and Bang produce an increased posterior sway, indicated by the faster activity observed on the anterior tibial muscle. On the other hand, the elements encountered in rockstars provoke anterior movements, creating the need for a quicker response from the gastrocnemius muscle. Further research is required to explore certain energy drink ingredients' effects on dynamic activities such as walking.

In Vivo and In Vitro Assays Evaluating the Biological Activity of Taurine, Glucose and Energetic Beverages

Taurine is one of the main ingredients used in energy drinks which are highly consumed in adolescents for their sugary taste and stimulating effect. With energy drinks becoming a worldwide phenomenon, the biological effects of these beverages must be evaluated in order to fully comprehend the potential impact of these products on the health due to the fact nutrition is closely related to science since the population consumes food to prevent certain diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the biological effects of taurine, glucose, classic Red Bull® and sugar-free Red Bull® in order to check the food safety and the nutraceutical potential of these compounds, characterising different endpoints: (i) Toxicology, antitoxicology, genotoxicology and life expectancy assays were performed in the Drosophila melanogaster model organism; (ii) The in vitro chemopreventive activity of testing compounds was determined by assessing their cytotoxicity, the proapoptotic DNA-damage capability to induce internucleosomal fragmentation, the strand breaks activity and the modulator role on the methylation status of genomic repetitive sequences of HL-60 promyelocytic cells. Whereas none tested compounds showed toxic or genotoxic effect, all tested compounds exerted antitoxic and antigenotoxic activity in Drosophila. Glucose, classic Red Bull® and sugar-free Red Bull® were cytotoxic in HL-60 cell line. Classic Red Bull® induced DNA internucleosomal fragmentation although none of them exhibited DNA damage on human leukaemia cells. In conclusion, the tested compounds are safe on Drosophila melanogaster and classic Red Bull® could overall possess nutraceutical potential in the in vivo and in vitro model used in this study. Besides, taurine could holistically be one of the bioactive compounds responsible for the biological activity of classic Red Bull®.

Effect of Red Bull on Histology of Renal Mesangium

Objective: To determine the consequences of energy drink (Red bull) on renal mesangium of albino rats.Materials and Methods: This study was carried out at the Anatomy Department of King Edward Medical University, Lahore, from August 2018 to December 2019. It was an experimental randomized controlled trial. Total 90 adult albino male rats, 8-12 weeks old, weighing 130 to 160 grams were taken. Healthy animals were included. Rats were divided into three groups Group A and B experimental groups received 1.5ml/kg and 2.2ml/kg body weight of red bull energy drink, respectively. Group C received 1ml/kg body weight of distilled water.Results: The mean initial and final weight of animals was around 150g and 170g, respectively. The mean paired kidney weight and relative tissue weight index for all three groups were found insignificant. Microscopic examination showed mesangial hypercellularity and vascular congestion in renal cortex of groups A and B, none in group C. These were significant among two experimental groups with a p-value less than 0.001.Conclusion: It was found that the use of energy drinks induces histopathological changes in the renal mesangium.