As seen in your prospectus: A critical essay on the representation of ethnic diversity in stock photography

This work discusses the representation of ethnic diversity in contemporary stock photography imagery in the light of postcolonial critical theory. Departing from the Visual Content analysis of a random sample of stock photography retrieved from the Getty Images database, it attempts an interpretation of the empirical findings following the concepts of Whiteness and Self / Other dichotomy, both belonging to the postcolonial critical theory. The major findings discussed are the high priority ethnic diversity enjoys as a theme for representation in European and north American stock photography agencies compared to their Asian counterparts, and the rapid decrease found in the representation of non-Caucasian models when the needs of representation do not favor the depiction of ethnic diversity but are instead limited to the depiction of single persons or body parts. The discussion unfolds in three semantically interrelated sections. The first section sets the focus on the paradox ways in which the depiction of ethnic diversity in the material examined supports the concept of Whiteness, while the second section attempts an interpretive approach on the visual phenomenon under the concept of Political Correctness. The final section concludes the former two, tracing the common power structures lying in the representation of ethnic diversity in stock photography and in representations of the ‘Other’ traditionally related to the postcolonial discourse drawing from the concept of the Self / Other dichotomy

Recent advances in Flavin-dependent halogenase biocatalysis : sourcing, engineering, and application

The introduction of a halogen atom into a small molecule can effectively modulate its properties, yielding bioactive substances of agrochemical and pharmaceutical interest. Consequently, the development of selective halogenation strategies is of high technological value. Besides chemical methodologies, enzymatic halogenations have received increased interest as they allow the selective installation of halogen atoms in molecular scaffolds of varying complexity under mild reaction conditions. Today, a comprehensive library of aromatic halogenases exists, and enzyme as well as reaction engineering approaches are being explored to broaden this enzyme family’s biocatalytic application range. In this review, we highlight recent developments in the sourcing, engineering, and application of flavin-dependent halogenases with a special focus on chemoenzymatic and coupled biosynthetic approaches

Reconsidering urban development: the role of local self-organized groups in urban open green space upgrade

In the city of Thessaloniki, the co-creation of ‘an inclusive city’, which will ‘empower citizens and community-led projects... and enable co- creation in open and public spaces’, appears as one of the four main goals of the Resilience Strategy of the city, ‘Thessaloniki 2030’, published in 2017. Within this frame, and in conjunction with the need of open green spaces that Thessaloniki has, this paper is an attempt to identify and highlight the contribution of design self-organized groups to the upgrade of the urban environment of the city of Thessaloniki. This study focuses on the design team of Ev Zin (Ευ Ζην), an initiative of a group of students from the School of Spatial Planning and Development, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Aristotle’s University main campus occupies a large area within the city of Thessaloniki. This campus, particularly its various open spaces appear to be in a general degraded state, frequently used for delinquent activities. A group of students decided to act and to focus on the upgrade of the open green spaces of the campus, starting from a specific green space, situated at a focal point/crossroads within the campus. These students formed the Ev Zin group. This paper will be, hence, discussing the conditions that led to the degradation of the campus and the area around it, the formation of this team and its development, but more importantly the efforts of the Ev Zin group towards the upgrading of the campus, as well as the mobilization that these efforts have created, particularly concerning the principal formal stakeholders, mainly the Aristotle University’s authorities and the Attiko Metro authorities, the company constructing the underground stations at the university

Re‐programming and optimization of a L‐proline cis‐4‐hydroxylase for the cis‐3‐halogenation of its native substrate

Non-heme iron/ α -ketoglutarate dependent halogenases acting on freestanding substrates catalyze the regio- and stereoselective halogenation of inactivated C(sp 3 )-H bonds. Yet, with only a handful of these halogenases characterized, the biosynthetic potential of enzymatic radical halogenation remains limited. Herein, we describe the remodeling of L -proline cis -4-hydroxylase from Sinorhizobium meliloti into a halogenase by introduction of a single point mutation ( D108G) into the enzyme’s active site. The re-programmed halogenase displays a striking regio-divergent reaction chemistry: While halogenation of L -proline exclusively occurs at the C3-position, the retained hydroxylation activity leads to derivatization at the C-4 position, corresponding to the regioselectivity of the wildtype enzyme. By employing several rounds of directed evolution, an optimized halogenase variant with 98-fold improved apparent k cat / K m for chlorination of L -proline compared to the parental enzyme SmP4H ( D108G) was identified. The development and optimization of this novel halogenation biocatalyst highlights the possibility to rationally harness the chemical versatility of non-heme Fe/ α KG dependent dioxygenases for C-H functionalization

Enzymatic PET Degradation

Plastic, in the form of packaging material, disposables, clothing and other articles with a short lifespan, has become an indispensable part of our everyday life. The increased production and use of plastic, however, accelerates the accumulation of plastic waste and poses an increasing burden on the environment with negative effects on biodiversity and human health. PET, a common thermoplastic, is recycled in many countries via thermal, mechanical and chemical means. Recently, several enzymes have been identified capable of degrading this recalcitrant plastic, opening possibilities for the biological recycling of the omnipresent material. In this review, we analyze the current knowledge of enzymatic PET degradation and discuss advances in improving the involved enzymes via protein engineering. Looking forward, the use of plastic degrading enzymes may facilitate sustainable plastic waste management and become an important tool for the realization of a circular plastic economy

Engineering Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent halogenases and desaturases

Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (α-KGDs) are widespread enzymes in aerobic biology and serve a remarkable array of biological functions, including roles in collagen biosynthesis, plant and animal development, transcriptional regulation, nucleic acid modification, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. This functional diversity is reflected in the enzymes' catalytic flexibility as α-KGDs can catalyze an intriguing set of synthetically valuable reactions, such as hydroxylations, halogenations, and desaturations, capturing the interest of scientists across disciplines. Mechanistically, all α-KGDs are understood to follow a similar activation pathway to generate a substrate radical, yet how individual members of the enzyme family direct this key intermediate toward the different reaction outcomes remains elusive, triggering structural, computational, spectroscopic, kinetic, and enzyme engineering studies. In this Perspective, we will highlight how first enzyme and substrate engineering examples suggest that the chemical reaction pathway within α-KGDs can be intentionally tailored using rational design principles. We will delineate the structural and mechanistic investigations of the reprogrammed enzymes and how they begin to inform about the enzymes' structure-function relationships that determine chemoselectivity. Application of this knowledge in future enzyme and substrate engineering campaigns will lead to the development of powerful C-H activation catalysts for chemical synthesis

Back to Craft

The paper reports on the interaction between a tutor, six students, the industry of cement blocks production and diverse consultants in the process of manufacturing multiple prototype molds for the eco-stones Wallpot and Triko. Wallpot is a beton-block element for articulated facades of vertical horticulture. Triko is a beton-block for turf-stone-alike green pavements. Throughout the process of molds’ generation and the research on contemporary modes of production a deep knowledge of molding techniques for contemporary product design was built. Above all how flexible molding can be through the combination of digital fabrication and crafting. The paper presents and concludes on how the design helps in the creation of a type and a system, the digital fabrication adds a generic attribute to the type and crafting enriches it with a genetic attribute. As a result Fabrication has triggered Crafting more than the Design alone would have done and Crafting enhanced the engagement with the Design for the students.status: publishe

Development of an ene reductase-based biocatalytic process for the production of flavor compounds

Ene reductases catalyze the biocatalytic reduction of activated alkenes, offering a powerful biobased alternative to metal-catalyzed and organocatalyzed double-bond reductions. With the aim to utilize the natural catalysts for the development of sustainable industrial processes for the flavor and fragrance (F&F) industry, we investigated the synthetic potential of a wild-type ene reductase library consisting of 20 enzymes to produce flavor compounds, including decanal. In our library screening, we identified several ene reductases that could efficiently reduce 2E-decenal as well as other investigated target substrates. Five of the characterized enzymes exhibited high reduction activities even at increased substrate concentrations (10 g/L). By analyzing additional enzyme characteristics (thermostability, solubility, and activity at 10 °C), enzyme Pbr-ER from Pseudomonas brassicacearum was chosen for further characterization and process optimization. Using optimized reaction conditions, the Pbr-ER-catalyzed reduction of 2Edecenal was performed at 100 mL scale at 40 g/L substrate concentration, achieving a high conversion yield (>93%) within 24 h