Dao, harmony and personhood: towards a Confucian ethics of technology

A closer look at the theories and questions in philosophy of technology and ethics of technology shows the absence and marginality of non-Western philosophical traditions in the discussions. Although, increasingly, some philosophers have sought to introduce non-Western philosophical traditions into the debates, there are few systematic attempts to construct and articulate general accounts of ethics and technology based on other philosophical traditions. This situation is understandable, for the questions of modern sciences and technologies appear to be originated from the West; at the same time, the situation is undesirable. The overall aim of this paper, therefore, is to introduce an alternative account of ethics of technology based on the Confucian tradition. In doing so, it is hoped that the current paper can initiate a relatively uncharted field in philosophy of technology and ethics of technology

Structural basis for oxygen degradation domain selectivity of the HIF prolyl hydroxylases

The response to hypoxia in animals involves the expression of multiple genes regulated by the αβ-hypoxia inducible transcription factors (HIFs). The hypoxia sensing mechanism involves oxygen limited hydroxylation of prolyl-residues in the N- and C-terminal oxygen dependent degradation domains (NODD and CODD) of HIFα isoforms, as catalyzed by prolyl hydroxylases (PHD 1-3). Prolyl hydroxylation promotes binding of HIFα to the von Hippel-Lindau protein (VHL)-elongin B/C complex, so signaling for proteosomal degradation of HIFα. We reveal that certain PHD2 variants linked to familial erythrocytosis and cancer are highly selective for CODD or NODD. Crystalline and solution state studies coupled to kinetic and cellular analyses reveal how wildtype and variant PHDs achieve ODD selectivity via different dynamic interactions involving loop and C-terminal regions. The results inform on how HIF target gene selectivity is achieved and will be of use in developing selective PHD inhibitors.</p