489 research outputs found
An Analysis of Family Structures as Depicted in the Synoptic Gospels
There are many other passages that could be analyzed and a lot more that could be said, but due to the capacity of this thesis, I have just sketched some of the most important aspects of Jesus’ actions and teachings that redefine the meaning of “family” for his contemporaries.
Keeping in mind the Mediterranean social values, Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God and his new fictive family, is, indeed, highly polemic and opposing to the cultural norms. On the other hand, he does not distance himself from them entirely but also uses the cultural values in the service of his proclamation in order to be more understandable for his audience. It seems that it is not just important to oppose the culture and its prevailing values but to submit completely to doing God’s will. But as the oppressive values and systems are at cross-purpose with God’s ideals, he confronts them.
The central focus of the alternative community is the love of God embodied in the serving acts of Jesus exemplary to the disciples. The new values of Jesus-movement that stand out are love for one’s neighbors and enemies and valuing people over dysfunctional and restrictive systems. The community should be known for the full surrender to the perfect and merciful Father and doing his will. These are the characteristics that make the disciples great.
This revolutionary family, guided by the foretold values, is not held together by social tension or oppressive values but allegiance and complete attachment to God and love for each other, thus contrasting with the highly dysfunctional Mediterranean family and bringing healing to the families, relationships, and the society as a whole. Although surpassing the boundaries of what family meant for the agrarian people, Jesus by no means denounces family relations but makes a case for a kingdom that flows into, affects, and becomes visible in any previous relations one had before. Therefore, it is not just the Church as an institution that should embody such values, but the community of individual yet relational believers who spread and live them out in their everyday lives in relation to all of their relationships, including their family-relations. His focus is not on discounting all social and power relations, but bringing change to them, a change that values people above wealth, honor, and power.
The household of God with its reordered value judgment becomes an example for human society “in contrast to the negative leadership exemplified by the exploitation by the rich elite and the temple.”218 This kind of oikos that is defined mainly by vulnerability and service “runs counter to a social structure that advances persons with access to wealth, power, authority, and even purity to the highest levels of the social order” because the majority of the population with no access to these resources stayed stuck at the bottom of the social hierarchy.219 The main aim and focus of people’s lives shift from the obsession from honor/shame orientation to a new family with a broadened inclusion and different focal values. Serving and doing God’s will, not the ultimate concern for increasing the family honor, becomes the starting point and the foundation of God’s family
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Transformations of the contemporary mystic discourse in Iran
This thesis examines the transformations of Iranian mysticism ‘erfan in contemporary Iran. It observes how ‘erfan manifests in society and how religious intellectuals use it to argue for liberal secular values in Iran. This study challenges the common scholarly discourse of mysticism, which focuses solely on either Islamic theology or Sufism. Instead, this thesis suggests that Iranian mysticism ‘erfan is a dynamic concept that goes beyond the limits of the aforementioned discourses. It argues that the mid-20th century Islamic world experienced a rising trend of legalistic Islamism, of which the Iranian revolution was part. Towards the end of the century, esoteric Islam has become increasingly present in the ideologies of religious intellectuals and in the public discourse in the whole Islamic world. Analyzing the ideas of three Iranian thinkers, namely Soroush, Azmayesh and Taheri, this thesis discusses the way ‘erfan has been transformed in order to suit the needs of contemporary Iranian societyMiddle Eastern Studie
How to change the oligomeric state of a circular protein assembly: switch from 11-subunit to 12-subunit TRAP suggests a general mechanism
Many critical cellular functions are performed by multisubunit circular protein oligomers whose internal geometry has evolved to meet functional requirements. The subunit number is arguably the most critical parameter of a circular protein assembly, affecting the internal and external diameters of the assembly and often impacting on the protein's function. Although accurate structural information has been obtained for several circular proteins, a lack of accurate information on alternative oligomeric states has prevented engineering such transitions. In this study we used the bacterial transcription regulator TRAP as a model system to investigate the features that define the oligomeric state of a circular protein and to question how the subunit number could be manipulated.We find that while Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus stearothermophilus TRAP form 11-subunit oligomers, the Bacillus halodurans TRAP exclusively forms 12-subunit assemblies. Significantly, the two states of TRAP are related by a simple rigid body rotation of individual subunits around inter-subunit axes. We tested if such a rotation could be induced by insertion or deletion mutations at the subunit interface. Using wild type 11-subunit TRAP, we demonstrate that removal of five C-terminal residues at the outer side of the inter-subunit axis or extension of an amino acid side chain at the opposite, inner side, increased the subunit number from 11 to 12. Our findings are supported by crystal structures of TRAP oligomers and by native mass spectrometry data.The subunit number of the TRAP oligomer can be manipulated by introducing deletion or addition mutations at the subunit interface. An analysis of available and emerging structural data on alternative oligomeric states indicates that the same principles may also apply to the subunit number of other circular assemblies suggesting that the deletion/addition approach could be used generally to engineer transitions between different oligomeric states
The developing wing crossvein of Drosophila melanogaster : a fascinating model for signaling and morphogenesis
The Drosophila wing has been used as a model for studying tissue growth, morphogenesis and pattern formation. The wing veins of Drosophila are composed of two distinct structures, longitudinal veins and crossveins. Although positional information of longitudinal veins is largely defined in the wing imaginal disc during the larval stage, crossvein primordial cells appear to be naive until the early pupal stage. Here, we first review how wing crossveins have been investigated in the past. Then, the developmental mechanisms underlying crossvein formation are summarized. This review focuses on how a conserved trafficking mechanism of BMP ligands is utilized for crossvein formation, and how various co-factors play roles in sustaining BMP signalling. Recent findings further reveal that crossvein development serves as an excellent model to address how BMP signal and dynamic cellular processes are coupled. This comprehensive review illustrates the uniqueness, scientific value and future perspectives of wing crossvein development as a model.Peer reviewe
Nestin-cre;Ric8a mutantse hiire südame areng pärgarterite tekkimise ajal
Imetajate süda on esimene organ, mis organogeneesis funktsioneerima hakkab. Kardiogenees sisaldab endas keerukaid protsesse, mis tagavad südame korrektse arengu, mis on vajalik embrüo ellu jäämiseks. Neuraalharja päritolu rakud panustavad erinevate südamestruktuuride, nende seas vaskulaarpõimikute, arengusse. Nende õige differentseerumise, migreerumise ja adheseerumise tagavad kompleksed signaalivõrgustikud, milles võtmerolli omavad G-valgud. G-valkude poolt vahendatud signaali ülekandeid reguleerib RIC-8, olles G-valgu α-subühikutele molekulaarseks tšaperoniks, kontrollides Gα subühikute hulka rakus, ning guaniini nukleotiidivahetusfaktor, võimendades ja pikendades G-valkude signaali rakus. Seega omab RIC-8 olulist rolli kardiogeneesis, tagades korrektse südame arengu
Vändra mustrid: vaibad ja tekstiilpaneelid Vändra raamatukokku
https://www.ester.ee/record=b4094053*es
Elektroonilise side andmete säilitamise ja põhiõiguste tagamise vahekord kriminaalmenetluses
https://www.ester.ee/record=b545149
Cryo-EM structure in situ reveals a molecular switch that safeguards virus against genome loss
The portal protein is a key component of many double-stranded DNA viruses, governing capsid assembly and genome packaging. Twelve subunits of the portal protein define a tunnel, through which DNA is translocated into the capsid. It is unknown how the portal protein functions as a gatekeeper, preventing DNA slippage, whilst allowing its passage into the capsid, and how these processes are controlled. A cryo-EM structure of the portal protein of thermostable virus P23-45, determined in situ in its procapsid-bound state, indicates a mechanism that naturally safeguards the virus against genome loss. This occurs via an inversion of the conformation of the loops that define the constriction in the central tunnel, accompanied by a hydrophilic-hydrophobic switch. The structure also shows how translocation of DNA into the capsid could be modulated by a changing mode of protein-protein interactions between portal and capsid, across a symmetry-mismatched interface
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