The Beauty of Enjoyment: Aesthetics in Ecclesiastes

This thesis is an attempt to discover what Qohelet may have had in mind when he used the term yapeh Qohelet does not present his theory of aesthetics in an overt way, but it may be possible to infer what he could have in mind via analysis of his text. Beauty for Qohelet is something that he experiences firsthand, rather than a concept or principle one could memorize and then have at one\u27s service, such as a mathematical concept 2+2-4. Beauty for Qohelet is something which comes from God, but it appears that God gives the gift of beauty to humans as he chooses, irrespective of their relative merits or lack of them. What is beautiful for Qohelet may be an answer to his original question in 1:3, in which he sets out to discover what is profit (yitron), or the best way human beings can spend their time while living. Abundance of such profit (yirton] may be a God-given experience of cosmic harmony or beauty, as described by 3:11 and 5:17-19. The terms hebel and ra\u27 present a foil to such harmony or order as Qohelet explores different possible answers to his initial question in 1:3. Although Qohelet does seem to identify various actions or events as beautiful (e.g., 3:11, 5:17-18), the ethical value of those activities and events is neutralized for different reasons. First, such activities or events in their respective times are gifts from God. Second, in some cases people may not be aware that such beauty is a gift from God. Finally, the beautiful events described by 3:2-8, 11 are simply unavoidable realities of human life, things all human beings will experience. Ultimately, beauty for Qohelet is a matter of pleasure and pain, not ethical right or wrong

Preparation Of A Plasma Polymer Containing Phosphine Complexed Nickel By Concurrent Nickel Evaporation

This article describes one of the first examples of concurrent metal evaporation and substituted hydrocarbon plasma polymerization as a general method for preparing thin films containing a metal coordinated to a plasma polymer. In this report, the evaporation of Ni into a triallyl phosphine (TAP) glow discharge is described Deposition of a plasma polymer with concurrent reaction of Ni atoms with phosphine groups forms nickel containing triallyl phosphine plasma polymer, NiTAPPP. The chemical nature of the product is derived on the basis of infrared spectra taken of the film as formed and after reaction with air, CO, and NO. The extent of the reaction is deduced from gravimetric data obtained during reaction with CO and with NO; each case was followed by evacuation of the gas. The CO gravimetric data also suggest that uncoordinated Ni is predominantly formed at high (Ni evaporation rate)/(plasma polymer deposition rate) ratios; coordinated Ni predominates at low values of this parameter. The ESCA spectra are also obtained for this plasma polymer (NiTAPPP) as well as for that described in the previous paper, in which TAP is plasma polymerized (yielding TAPPP) and subsequently reacted with Ni(CO)4 (TAPPP + Ni(CO)4). In both cases, it was found that Ni is oxidized on contact with air. After such air exposure, ESCA spectra reveal the presence of residual Ni=P moieties on the surface of TAPPP + Ni(CO)4, but not of NiTAPPP. This is attributed to the greater reactivity of the coordinatively unsaturated Ni sites postulated for NiTAPPP. Copyright © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc

The Assembling and Contraction Mechanisms of Striated Muscles

A novel approach to the description of the assembly mechanism of functional biological structures is presented. The approach is based on the identification of fundamental self-assembling processes to which an additional structurization “engineered” by Nature to optimize functions is superimposed. Application of the approach to the structure and contraction of the striated muscle evidences a key role of the residual liquid crystallinity of a constrained structure and the alteration of the compatibility between the thin and thick filaments driven by ionic interactions. ATP hydrolysis boosts the relaxation process. A strong protein scaffold, engineered during the evolutionary process and based on the selective anchoring of coordinated filaments, directs a demixing tendency of the two filaments toward a sliding motion along the fiber axis. The Huxley-Hanson sliding filament hypothesis aimed to explain the contraction-relaxation function of the striated muscle, but does not offer any clue on the overall assembling mechanism of the myofibril

Interaction of Actinide Species with Microorganisms & Microbial Chelators: Cellular Uptake, Toxicity, & Implications for Bioremediation of Soil & Ground Water.

Microorganisms influence the natural cycle of major elements, including C, N, P, S, and transition metals such as Mn and Fe. Bacterial processes can also influence the behavior of actinides in soil and ground water. While radionuclides have no known biological utility, they have the potential to interact with microorganisms and to interfere with processes involving other elements such as Fe and Mn. These interactions can transform radionuclides and affect their fate and transport. Organic acids, extruded by-products of cell metabolism, can solubilize radionuclides and facilitate their transport. The soluble complexes formed can be taken up by the cells and incorporated into biofilm structures. We have examined the interactions of Pu species with bacterial metabolites, studied Pu uptake by microorganisms and examined the toxicity of Pu and other toxic metals to environmentally relevant bacteria. We have also studied the speciation of Pu(IV) in the presence of natural and synthetic chelators

Redox properties of human hemoglobin in complex with fractionated dimeric and polymeric human haptoglobin

Haptoglobin (Hp) is an abundant and conserved plasma glycoprotein, which binds acellular adult hemoglobin (Hb) dimers with high affinity and facilitates their rapid clearance from circulation after hemolysis. Humans possess three main phenotypes of Hp, designated Hp 1-1, Hp 2-1, and Hp 2-2. These variants exhibit diverse structural configurations and have been reported to be functionally nonequivalent. We have investigated the functional and redox properties of Hb–Hp complexes prepared using commercially fractionated Hp and found that all forms exhibit similar behavior. The rate of Hb dimer binding to Hp occurs with bimolecular rate constants of ~0.9 μM−1 s−1, irrespective of the type of Hp assayed. Although Hp binding does accelerate the observed rate of HbO2 autoxidation by dissociating Hb tetramers into dimers, the rate observed for these bound dimers is three- to fourfold slower than that of Hb dimers free in solution. Co-incubation of ferric Hb with any form of Hp inhibits heme loss to below detectable levels. Intrinsic redox potentials (E1/2) of the ferric/ferrous pair of each Hb–Hp complex are similar, varying from +54 to +59 mV (vs NHE), and are essentially the same as reported by us previously for Hb–Hp complexes prepared from unfractionated Hp. All Hb–Hp complexes generate similar high amounts of ferryl Hb after exposure to hydrogen peroxide. Electron paramagnetic resonance data indicate that the yields of protein-based radicals during this process are approximately 4 to 5% and are unaffected by the variant of Hp assayed. These data indicate that the Hp fractions examined are equivalent to one another with respect to Hb binding and associated stability and redox properties and that this result should be taken into account in the design of phenotype-specific Hp therapeutics aimed at countering Hb-mediated vascular disease

Alpha-hemoglobin stabilizing protein (AHSP) markedly decreases the redox potential and reactivity of alpha subunits of human HbA with hydrogen peroxide

Background: AHSP modifies redox properties of bound α subunits. Results: Isolated hemoglobin subunits exhibit significantly different redox properties compared to HbA. A significant decrease in the reduction potential of α subunits bound to AHSP results in preferential binding of ferric α. Conclusion: AHSP:α subunit complexes do not participate in ferric-ferryl heme redox cycling. Significance: AHSP binding to α subunits inhibits subunit pseudoperoxidase activity

A Conductometric Indium Oxide Semiconducting Nanoparticle Enzymatic Biosensor Array

We report a conductometric nanoparticle biosensor array to address the significant variation of electrical property in nanomaterial biosensors due to the random network nature of nanoparticle thin-film. Indium oxide and silica nanoparticles (SNP) are assembled selectively on the multi-site channel area of the resistors using layer-by-layer self-assembly. To demonstrate enzymatic biosensing capability, glucose oxidase is immobilized on the SNP layer for glucose detection. The packaged sensor chip onto a ceramic pin grid array is tested using syringe pump driven feed and multi-channel I–V measurement system. It is successfully demonstrated that glucose is detected in many different sensing sites within a chip, leading to concentration dependent currents. The sensitivity has been found to be dependent on the channel length of the resistor, 4–12 nA/mM for channel lengths of 5–20 μm, while the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant is 20 mM. By using sensor array, analytical data could be obtained with a single step of sample solution feeding. This work sheds light on the applicability of the developed nanoparticle microsensor array to multi-analyte sensors, novel bioassay platforms, and sensing components in a lab-on-a-chip