Analysis and Evaluation of Vladimir Lossky\u27s Doctrine of Theosis

This dissertation analyzes and evaluates the doctrine of theosis as it is presented in the work of Vladimir Lossky, one of the leading contemporary spokesmen for Orthodox theology. Two main questions set up the purpose of the study: Is Lossky\u27s soteriological position biblical, and is Lossky\u27s understanding of theosis in agreement with the tradition he belongs to. The method of study is historical-analytical. First, the development of the idea of theosis is traced in the Greek Fathers, in the Byzantine tradition (mainly Gregory Palamas), and in Lossky\u27s immediate antecedents in the Russian religious tradition. This historical background identifies two major deviations in the understanding of salvation against which Lossky holds his position: a juridical view of salvation in Western theology on the one hand, and panentheosis ofRussian sophiological school, on the other. Analysis of Lossky\u27s teaching of theosis reveals that it is a remarkably unified system, where Christian epistemology, Trinitarian theology, Christology, anthropology, soteriology, and ecclesiology are held together by a common theme, which is attaining union with God. Lossky argues the ontological (real, not metaphorical) character of theosis, although he affirms that in his union with God man is not dissolved into an impersonal reabsorption into the divine nature as it is in Neoplatonism. In affirming the ontological character of theosis, Lossky exploits two crucial distinctions that were made in Orthodox theology: essence/energy and person/nature. In evaluating the main biblical and theological (philosophical) presuppositions for Lossky\u27s view of theosis, the criteria of adequacy and internal consistency are used. The weakness of Lossky\u27s system with regard to his dealing with the Scripture is seen in the author\u27s rigorous apophaticism as the only way to the true knowledge of God, in his selective use of the Scripture and interpreting the selected material by means of the philosophical categories, and in excluding the covenantal, sacrificial, and substitutive language of the Bible from his vocabulary. Lossky\u27semployment of the metaphysical categories, such as essence, energy, and hypostasis, taken from the different historical and philosophical milieus, shows a lack of internal consistency in his system, creating a tension between essence/energy and person/nature distinctions. It seems that in describing a reality of theosis, Lossky fails to integrate two models (essence/energy and person/nature) in a unified system that would demonstrate a close interrelation of the concepts of \u27essence\u27, \u27energy\u27, and \u27person\u27. However, Lossky\u27s doctrine of theosis with its synthesis of Christology and Pneumatology, his wholistic anthropology, his teaching on the personhood and understanding of reality as being in a relation to God, are very relevant in the experience of the contemporary Church in both East and West

Toxoplasma gondii infection drives conversion of NK cells into ILC1-like cells

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) were originally classified based on their cytokine profiles, placing natural killer (NK) cells and ILC1s together, but recent studies support their separation into different lineages at steady-state. However, tumors may induce NK cell conversion into ILC1-like cells that are limited to the tumor microenvironment and whether this conversion occurs beyond this environment remains unknown. Here, we describ

Energy shift and wave function overlap of metal-organic interface states

The properties of Shockley-type interface states between π-conjugated organic molecular layers and metal surfaces are investigated by time-resolved two-photon photoemission experiments and density functional theory. For perylene- and naphthalene-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PTCDA and NTCDA) adsorbed on Ag(111), a common mechanism of formation of the interface state from the partly occupied surface state of the bare Ag(111) is revealed. The energy position is found to be strongly dependent on the distance of the molecular carbon rings from the metal and their surface density. Bending of the carboxyl groups enhances the molecular overlap of the interface state.Peer Reviewe

Regulation of TrkB receptor tyrosine kinase and its internalization by neuronal activity and Ca2+ influx

Internalization of the neurotrophin–Trk receptor complex is critical for many aspects of neurotrophin functions. The mechanisms governing the internalization process are unknown. Here, we report that neuronal activity facilitates the internalization of the receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor, TrkB, by potentiating its tyrosine kinase activity. Using three independent approaches, we show that electric stimulation of hippocampal neurons markedly enhances TrkB internalization. Electric stimulation also potentiates TrkB tyrosine kinase activity. The activity-dependent enhancement of TrkB internalization and its tyrosine kinase requires Ca2+ influx through N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and Ca2+ channels. Inhibition of internalization had no effect on TrkB kinase, but inhibition of TrkB kinase prevents the modulation of TrkB internalization, suggesting a critical role of the tyrosine kinase in the activity-dependent receptor endocytosis. These results demonstrate an activity- and Ca2+-dependent modulation of TrkB tyrosine kinase and its internalization, and they provide new insights into the cell biology of tyrosine kinase receptors

Multiple functions of precursor BDNF to CNS neurons: negative regulation of neurite growth, spine formation and cell survival

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Proneurotrophins and mature neurotrophins elicit opposite effects via the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75^NTR) and Trk tyrosine kinase receptors, respectively; however the molecular roles of proneurotrophins in the CNS are not fully understood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Based on two rare single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the <it>human brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) </it>gene, we generated R125M-, R127L- and R125M/R127L-BDNF, which have amino acid substitution(s) near the cleavage site between the pro- and mature-domain of BDNF. Western blot analyses demonstrated that these BDNF variants are poorly cleaved and result in the predominant secretion of proBDNF. Using these cleavage-resistant proBDNF (CR-proBDNF) variants, the molecular and cellular roles of proBDNF on the CNS neurons were examined. First, CR-proBDNF showed normal intracellular distribution and secretion in cultured hippocampal neurons, suggesting that inhibition of proBDNF cleavage does not affect intracellular transportation and secretion of BDNF. Second, we purified recombinant CR-proBDNF and tested its biological effects using cultured CNS neurons. Treatment with CR-proBDNF elicited apoptosis of cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs), while treatment with mature BDNF (matBDNF) promoted cell survival. Third, we examined the effects of CR-proBDNF on neuronal morphology using more than 2-week cultures of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) and hippocampal neurons. Interestingly, in marked contrast to the action of matBDNF, which increased the number of cholinergic fibers and hippocampal dendritic spines, CR-proBDNF dramatically reduced the number of cholinergic fibers and hippocampal dendritic spines, without affecting the survival of these neurons.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that proBDNF has distinct functions in different populations of CNS neurons and might be responsible for specific physiological cellular processes in the brain.</p

Emission Monitoring Mobile Experiment (EMME): An overview and first results of the St. Petersburg megacity campaign 2019

Global climate change is one of the most important scientific, societal and economic contemporary challenges. Fundamental understanding of the major processes driving climate change is the key problem which is to be solved not only on a global but also on a regional scale. The accuracy of regional climate modelling depends on a number of factors. One of these factors is the adequate and comprehensive information on the anthropogenic impact which is highest in industrial regions and areas with dense population – modern megacities. Megacities are not only “heat islands”, but also significant sources of emissions of various substances into the atmosphere, including greenhouse and reactive gases. In 2019, the mobile experiment EMME (Emission Monitoring Mobile Experiment) was conducted within the St. Petersburg agglomeration (Russia) aiming to estimate the emission intensity of greenhouse (CO$_{2}$, CH$_{4}$) nd reactive (CO, NO$_{x}$) gases for St. Petersburg, which is the largest northern megacity. St. Petersburg State University (Russia), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) and the University of Bremen (Germany) jointly ran this experiment. The core instruments of the campaign were two portable Bruker EM27/SUN Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers which were used for ground-based remote sensing measurements of the total column amount of CO$_{2}$, CH$_{4}$ and CO at upwind and downwind locations on opposite sides of the city. The NO$_{2}$ tropospheric column amount was observed along a circular highway around the city by continuous mobile measurements of scattered solar visible radiation with an OceanOptics HR4000 spectrometer using the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. Simultaneously, air samples were collected in air bags for subsequent laboratory analysis. The air samples were taken at the locations of FTIR observations at the ground level and also at altitudes of about 100 m when air bags were lifted by a kite (in case of suitable landscape and favourable wind conditions). The entire campaign consisted of 11 mostly cloudless days of measurements in March–April 2019. Planning of measurements for each day included the determination of optimal location for FTIR spectrometers based on weather forecasts, combined with the numerical modelling of the pollution transport in the megacity area. The real-time corrections of the FTIR operation sites were performed depending on the actual evolution of the megacity NO$_{x}$ plume as detected by the mobile DOAS observations. The estimates of the St. Petersburg emission intensities for the considered greenhouse and reactive gases were obtained by coupling a box model and the results of the EMME observational campaign using the mass balance approach. The CO$_{2}$ emission flux for St. Petersburg as an area source was estimated to be 89 ± 28 ktkm$^{-2}$ yr $^{-2}$ , which is 2 times higher than the corresponding value in the EDGAR database. The experiment revealed the CH$_{4}$ emission flux of 135 ± 68 tkm $^{-2}$ yr $^{-1}$, which is about 1 order of magnitude greater than the value reported by the official inventories of St. Petersburg emissions (∼ 25 tkm$^{-2}$ yr $^{-1}$ or 2017). At the same time, for the urban territory of St. Petersburg, both the EMME experiment and the official inventories for 2017 give similar results for the CO anthropogenic flux (251 ± 104 tkm $^{-2}$ yr $^{-1}$ s. 410 tkm $^{-2}$ yr $^{-1}$) nd for the NO$_{x}$ anthropogenic flux (66 ± 28 tkm$^{-2}$ yr $^{-1}$ vs. 69 tkm $^{-2}$ yr $^{-1}$)

Sample-dependent Dirac-point gap in MnBi2Te4 and its response to applied surface charge: A combined photoemission and ab initio study

Recently discovered intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4 presents an exciting platform for realization of the quantum anomalous Hall effect and a number of related phenomena at elevated temperatures. An important characteristic making this material attractive for applications is its predicted large magnetic gap at the Dirac point (DP). However, while the early experimental measurements reported on large DP gaps, a number of recent studies claimed to observe a gapless dispersion of the MnBi2Te4 Dirac cone. Here, using micro(μ)-laser angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we study the electronic structure of 15 different MnBi2Te4 samples, grown by two different chemists groups. Based on the careful energy distribution curves analysis, the DP gaps between 15 and 65 meV are observed, as measured below the Néel temperature at about 10–16 K. At that, roughly half of the studied samples show the DP gap of about 30 meV, while for a quarter of the samples the gaps are in the 50 to 60 meV range. Summarizing the results of both our and other groups, in the currently available MnBi2Te4 samples the DP gap can acquire an arbitrary value between a few and several tens of meV. Furthermore, based on the density functional theory, we discuss a possible factor that might contribute to the reduction of the DP gap size, which is the excess surface charge that can appear due to various defects in surface region. We demonstrate that the DP gap is influenced by the applied surface charge and even can be closed, which can be taken advantage of to tune the MnBi2Te4 DP gap size.The authors acknowledge support by the Saint Petersburg State University Grant No. ID 73028629, Russian Science Foundation Grant No. 18-12-00062 in part of the photoemission measurements and total analysis of the results, Grant No. 18-12-00169-p in part of the electronic band structure calculations and Grant No. 20-42-08002 in part of analysis of magnetic properties and Science Development Foundation under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Grant No. EI F-BGM-4-RFTF1/2017-21/04/1-M-02. M.M.O. acknowledges the support by Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Grant No. PID2019-103910GB-I00). K.K. and O.E.T. acknowledge the support from state assignment of IGM SB RAS and ISP SB RAS.Peer reviewe

Transformation of the Ag(111) surface state due to molecule-surface interaction with ordered organic molecular monolayers

We present a detailed study of 3,4,9,10-perylene- and 1,4,5,8-naphthalene- tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride monolayers adsorbed on Ag(111) film. The study is based on density functional theory with the use of a periodic slab model. The slab is chosen to contain an organic molecular monolayer on a silver thin film of different thicknesses (6, 9, and 12 layers) with the (111) orientation. We show that in both cases there is a similarity in formation of an unoccupied interface state from a surface state of the bare Ag(111) film due to the adsorbate-substrate interaction. The energy difference between the initial surface state and the resulting interface state varies with the film thickness, the adsorption distance, and the molecule size and geometry, whereas the effective mass of the state remains practically unchanged. Also, we demonstrate that the interface-state charge distribution preserves its localization in the interface region at different wave vectors k and in the vicinity of the molecular plane resembles lowest unoccupied orbitals of free molecules. © 2012 American Physical Society.We acknowledge partial support from the University of the Basque Country (Project GV-UPV/EHU, Grant No. IT-366-07) and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Grant No. FIS2010-19609-C02-00).Peer Reviewe