Schatten des Lichts

Shadows of Light. Giordano Bruno’s Promethean Dialectic This article examines the status of shadows, in particular in Giordano Bruno’s ars memorativa. As ›traces of light‹, shadows not only embody the universal substrate of an infinitely extended material universe, but human action, thought and communication also necessarily depend on the medium of the shadow. Bruno’s mnemonics teaches the targeted, deliberately steered – if not even deceitful – handling of the shadows. In contrast to the Platonic tradition, he ascribes shadows a status that is independent of Platonic ideas. This article argues that Bruno thus develops out of a Platonic dialectic a specifically Promethean poetics, a universal art of the shadow. This, in turn, enables the embodied individual to shift the boundaries of knowledge and to arrange the things of this world.

Coenzyme Q2 is a universal substrate for the measurement of respiratory chain enzyme activities in trypanosomatids

The measurement of respiratory chain enzyme activities is an integral part of basic research as well as for specialized examinations in clinical biochemistry. Most of the enzymes use ubiquinone as one of their substrates. For current in vitro measurements, several hydrophilic analogues of native ubiquinone are used depending on the enzyme and the workplace. We tested five readily available commercial analogues and we showed that Coenzyme Q2 is the most suitable for the measurement of all tested enzyme activities. Use of a single substrate in all laboratories for several respiratory chain enzymes will improve our ability to compare data, in addition to simplifying the stock of chemicals required for this type of research.

KEMAJUAN PENELITIAN BIOSINTESIS MONOTERPENA DAN PERANAN Terpene Cyclase: Suatu Kajian Pustaka

Chain extension, bond?? termination, and rearrangement of C bonds from complex reactions by cyclase create a universal substrate for C10 biosynthesis. From this substrate it consumes abundant C10 in nature. Approved by the researcher as a postulate. Mechanical and genetic studies also prove the postulate. In addition, metal ions as a binder play an important role in C10 biosynthesis and its regulation.

Cryogenically preserved RBCs support gametocytogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro and gametogenesis in mosquitoes

BackgroundThe malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA) has identified human-to-mosquito transmission of Plasmodium falciparum as a major target for eradication. The cornerstone for identifying and evaluating transmission in the laboratory is small membrane feeding assays (SMFAs) where mature gametocytes of P. falciparum generated in vitro are offered to mosquitoes as part of a blood-meal. However, propagation of “infectious” gametocytes requires 10-12 days with considerable physico-chemical demands imposed on host RBCs and thus, “fresh” RBCs that are ≤1-week old post-collection are generally recommended. However, in addition to the costs, physico-chemical characteristics unique to RBC donors may confound reproducibility and interpretation of SMFAs. Cryogenic storage of RBCs (cryo-preserved RBCs herein) is approved by the European and US FDAs as an alternative to refrigeration (4°C) for preserving RBC quality and while cryo-preserved RBCs have been used for in vitro cultures of other Plasmodia and the asexual stages of P. falciparum, none of the studies required RBCs to support parasite development for >4 days.ResultsUsing the standard laboratory strain, P. falciparum NF54, we first demonstrate that cryo-preserved RBCs preserved in the gaseous phase of liquid nitrogen and thawed after storage for 1, 4, 8 and 12 weeks, supported gametocytogenesis in vitro and subsequent gametogenesis in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. Using data from 11 SMFAs and RBCs from 4 separate donors with 3 donors re-tested following various periods of cryo-preservation, we show that overall levels of sporogony in the mosquito, as measured by oocyst prevalence and burdens in the midguts and sporozoites in salivary glands, were similar or better than using ≤1-week old refrigerated RBCs. Additionally, the potential for cryo-preserved RBCs to serve as a universal substrate for SMFAs is shown for a Cambodian isolate of P. falciparum.ConclusionsConsidering the suitability of cryo-preserved RBCs for P. falciparum SMFAs, we suggest guidelines for their use and how they can be integrated into an existing laboratory/insectary framework with the potential to significantly reduce running costs and provide greater reliability. Finally, we discuss scenarios where cryo-preserved RBCs may be especially useful in enhancing our understanding and/or providing novel insights into the patterns and process underlying human-to-mosquito transmission.

Baroque Bodies: Agency, Expression and Movement

The focus of this chapter is the human body as it is represented and interpreted in baroque writing and performance. In his 1677 treatise Ethics the philosopher Baruch Spinoza contradicts Cartesian dualism, claiming that matter and spirit are united by one fundamental universal substrate. Between the late 1800s and 1914 the German scientist and philosopher Ernst Haeckel popularised many of Spinoza’s ideas for a modern readership, and Haeckel’s comprehensive exposition of pantheism and monist beliefs underpinned his own aesthetic sense of nature and her forms. My work on the Trauerspiel in earlier chapters suggests a particular preoccupation with the realm of matter, the significance of the human body and soul and a defining relationship between subject and object. Duncan’s theories of dance allow me to further explore these themes and to strengthen my argument by using a completely different combination of modernist art-form and baroque source. My focus will be Spinoza’s definitions of body, spirit, ‘motion-and-rest’, ‘conatus’ and form, and the ways in which the Isadora Duncan assimilated these monist theories in her writing and choreography. Whilst developing arguments from previous chapters, this section reveals a very different kind of gesture and physicality when compared with those of baroque tableau and Schrei performance.

Norbornadiene as a Universal Substrate for Organic and Petrochemical Synthesis

A wide range of rare polycyclic hydrocarbons can be obtained through catalytic processes involving norbornadiene (NBD). The problem of selectivity is crucial for such reactions. The feasibility of controlling<br />selectivity and reaction rate has been shown for cyclic dimerization, co-dimerization, isomerization and allylation of NBD. Kinetic rules have been scrutinized. Consistent mechanisms have been proposed. Factors<br />affecting directions of the reactions and allowing us to obtain individual stereoisomers quantitatively, have been established. A series of novel unsaturated compounds has been synthesized; they incorporate a<br />set of double bonds with different reactivity and can find an extremely wide range of applications.