It-tentattiv tar-ridefinizzjoni tal-Jien f'Fl-isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben) ta' Immanuel Mifsud : adattament ta' bixra dekostruzzjonista

This paper seeks to analyse the strategies adopted by Immanuel Mifsud in 'In the name of the father (and the son)' in order to explore, and possibly widen, what Alan Thiher identifies as 'the coordinates of self'. The challenge suggested in Helene Cixous's statement that 'one can confess all one wants, the unconfessable remains unconfessed' is taken as a point of departure from which the text takes its cue. The dilemma which very likely crops up in an autobiographical work (ie. the fear that one might confess what is deemed unconfessable) is transformed into a strategy which permits several key elements in the text to lose the certainty in their definition. By applying Derrida's concept of 'differance' Mifsud manages to deconstruct certain concepts by dislocating their meaning from a fixed position to continuous deferral. This radicalization is made possible thanks to the Hamletian encounter which Mifsud experiences with the spectral figure of his father. In realizing what, since then, had been unrealizable, the author manages to come to terms with what had been disturbing him since childhood. In the process, concepts such as masculinity and paternity, which the author finds utterly problematic to embrace in his attempt to redefine himself, have their definition radically altered. In the case of masculinity, the binary opposition which differentiates it from the concept of femininity is weakened to such an extent that its definition stops excluding the other.When it comes to paternity the deferral in the meaning of such concepts as father and son helps the author to relieve the pain which fatherhood inflicts on his soul.peer-reviewe

Mir-riforma socjali ghall-investigazzjoni tal-bniedem : ulied in-nanna Venut fl-Amerka ta' Gwann Mamo bhala allegorija tal-kundizzjoni ezistenzjali umana

Dan I-istudju huwa r-reazzjoni ghall-klassifikazzjoni tal-irwol ta' Mamo f'Ulied in-Nanna Venut fl-Amerka bnala riformatur socjali, gudizzju Ii jillimita I-valur estetiku tat-test billi jirrendih relevanti gnal zmienu biss. II-hrug tar-rumanz minn dan I-gheluq isir primarjament permezz tal-identifikazzjoni tal -funzjoni allegorika tar-rakkont, u kif tghin biex eventwalment tinbena I-vizjoni awtorjali. Ghal dan il-ghan it-test ta' Mamo jibda jinftiehem ahjar fil-kuntest tal-metafizika ta' Martin Heidegger. L-attenzjoni tinxtehet I-aktar fuq it -twebbil li jemigraw lejn I-Amerka, u kif il-mod Ii bih tittiehed id-decizjoni jirrifletti x'tip ta' karattri huma.peer-reviewe

La bidu la tmiem : 1599 ta' Alfred Sant bhala spunt ghal rivizitazzjoni tal-mudell storjografiku empiriku

Dan l-istudju jfittex li janalizza l-isforz ta' Sant li jirrivizita f'La Bidu La Tmiem: 1599 il-mod li bih l-istoriku Malti jinterpreta l-passat storiku. Din il-htiega tigi illustrata fid-dawl ta' tiiet hassieba Maltin. Il-kontribut ta' Oliver Friggieri u Paul Sant Cassia jikxef il-monolotizmu fil-kultura Maltija, mudell ta' hsieb li skont ta l-ewwel jillimita l-varjeta` fl-interpretazzjoni. Permezz ta' Henry Frendo mbaghad jintwera kif l-isterilita` mentaIi kkawzata min-nuqqas ta' kontestazzjoni timmanifesta ruhha fil-mudell storjografiku ppropagat minnu. F'dan il-kuntest, it-test ta' Sant jigi analizzat bhala sforz biex tigi indirizzata din is-sitwazzjoni. L-istudju jiffoka fuq l- applikazzjoni tal-likwidita` bhala mezz li jzarma c-certezza marbuta mal-mudell storjografiku empiriku. Il-qofol tar-rivizitazzjoni jikkoncerna l-istatus ontologiku tar-realta`, li titlef is-solidita` fl-essenza taghha biex thaddan il-likwidita` marbuta mal-mudell epistemologiku postmodern.peer-reviewe

Ariel - Volume 2 Number 2

Editors Delvyn C. Case, Jr. Paul M. Fernhoff News Editors Richard Bonanno Daniel B. Gould Ronald A. Hoffman Lay-Out Editor Carol Dolinskas Sports Editor James J. Nocon Contributing Editors MichaeI J. Blecker Lin Sey Edwards Jack Guralnik W. Cherry Light Features Editor Donald A. Bergman Stephen P. Flynn Business Manager Nick Grego Public Relations Robin A. Edward

Recognition of Polyadenylate RNA by the Poly(A)-Binding Protein

AbstractThe cocrystal structure of human poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) has been determined at 2.6 Å resolution. PABP recognizes the 3′ mRNA poly(A) tail and plays critical roles in eukaryotic translation initiation and mRNA stabilization/degradation. The minimal PABP used in this study consists of the N-terminal two RRM-type RNA-binding domains connected by a short linker (RRM1/2). These two RRMs form a continuous RNA-binding trough, lined by an antiparallel β sheet backed by four α helices. The polyadenylate RNA adopts an extended conformation running the length of the molecular trough. Adenine recognition is primarily mediated by contacts with conserved residues found in the RNP motifs of the two RRMs. The convex dorsum of RRM1/2 displays a phylogenetically conserved hydrophobic/acidic portion, which may interact with translation initiation factors and regulatory proteins

Ariel - Volume 3 Number 1

Editors Richard J. Bonanno Robin A. Edwards Associate Editors Steven Ager Stephen Flynn Tom Williams Lay-out Editor Eugenia Miller Contributing Editors Michael J. Blecker Milton Parker James J. Nocon Lynne Porter Editors Emeritus Delvyn C. Case, Jr. Paul M. Fernhof

Ariel - Volume 2 Number 7

Editors Richard J. Bonanno Robin A. Edwards Associate Editors Steven Ager Stephen Flynn Shep Dickman Tom Williams Lay-out Editor Eugenia Miller Contributing Editors Michael J. Blecker W. Cherry Light James J. Nocon Lynne Porter Editors Emeritus Delvyn C. Case, Jr. Paul M. Fernhof

Effect of antipronation foot orthosis geometry on compression of heel and arch soft tissues

This study aimed to understand how systematic changes in arch height and two designs of heel wedging affect soft issues under the foot. Soft tissue thickness under the heel and navicular was measured using ultrasound. Heel pad thickness was measured while subjects were standing on a flat surface and also while they were standing on an orthosis with 4 and 8 degree extrinsic wedges and 4 and 8 mm intrinsic wedges (n = 27). Arch soft tissue thickness was measured when subjects were standing and when standing on an orthosis with -6 mm, standard, and +6 mm increments in arch height (n = 25). Extrinsic and intrinsic heel wedges significantly increased soft tissue thickness under the heel compared with no orthosis. The 4 and 8 degree extrinsic wedges increased tissue thickness by 28.3% and 27.6%, respectively, while the 4 and 8 mm intrinsic wedges increased thickness by 23.0% and 14.6%, respectively. Orthotic arch height significantly affected arch soft tissue thickness. Compared with the no orthosis condition, the 6 mm, standard, and +6 mm arch heights decreased arch tissue thickness by 9.1%, 10.2%, and 11.8%, respectively. This study demonstrates that change in orthotic geometry creates different plantar soft tissue responses that we expect to affect transmission of force to underlying foot bones

Loss of quaternary structure is associated with rapid sequence divergence in the OSBS family

The rate of protein evolution is determined by a combination of selective pressure on protein function and biophysical constraints on protein folding and structure. Determining the relative contributions of these properties is an unsolved problem in molecular evolution with broad implications for protein engineering and function prediction. As a case study, we examined the structural divergence of the rapidly evolving o-succinylbenzoate synthase (OSBS) family, which catalyzes a step in menaquinone synthesis in diverse microorganisms and plants. On average, the OSBS family is much more divergent than other protein families from the same set of species, with the most divergent family members sharing <15% sequence identity. Comparing 11 representative structures revealed that loss of quaternary structure and large deletions or insertions are associated with the family’s rapid evolution. Neither of these properties has been investigated in previous studies to identify factors that affect the rate of protein evolution. Intriguingly, one subfamily retained a multimeric quaternary structure and has small insertions and deletions compared with related enzymes that catalyze diverse reactions. Many proteins in this subfamily catalyze both OSBS and N-succinylamino acid racemization (NSAR). Retention of ancestral structural characteristics in the NSAR/OSBS subfamily suggests that the rate of protein evolution is not proportional to the capacity to evolve new protein functions. Instead, structural features that are conserved among proteins with diverse functions might contribute to the evolution of new functions

Target selection and annotation for the structural genomics of the amidohydrolase and enolase superfamilies

To study the substrate specificity of enzymes, we use the amidohydrolase and enolase superfamilies as model systems; members of these superfamilies share a common TIM barrel fold and catalyze a wide range of chemical reactions. Here, we describe a collaboration between the Enzyme Specificity Consortium (ENSPEC) and the New York SGX Research Center for Structural Genomics (NYSGXRC) that aims to maximize the structural coverage of the amidohydrolase and enolase superfamilies. Using sequence- and structure-based protein comparisons, we first selected 535 target proteins from a variety of genomes for high-throughput structure determination by X-ray crystallography; 63 of these targets were not previously annotated as superfamily members. To date, 20 unique amidohydrolase and 41 unique enolase structures have been determined, increasing the fraction of sequences in the two superfamilies that can be modeled based on at least 30% sequence identity from 45% to 73%. We present case studies of proteins related to uronate isomerase (an amidohydrolase superfamily member) and mandelate racemase (an enolase superfamily member), to illustrate how this structure-focused approach can be used to generate hypotheses about sequence–structure–function relationships