scholarly journals A formal approach to the molecular fuzzy lock-and-key

Author(s):  
Rodrick Wallace

The fuzzy lock-and-key (FLK) powers a vast array of sophisticated logic gates at inter- and intra-cellular levels. We invoke representations of groupoid tiling wreath products analogous to the study of nonrigid molecules - or of related fuzzy symmetry extensions - to build a Morse Function that can describe spontaneous symmetry breaking phase transitions driven by information catalysis. The Function can, however, also be used to construct an Onsager-like stochastic dynamics, linked to the phase transition approach by the rich stability criteria associated with stochastic differential equations. The two methods provide complementary ways of looking at the FLK. A limit condition emerging from the stochastic dynamics gives insight into a cellular 'generalized inflammation' requiring progressively higher commitment of metabolic free energy for maintenance of basic FLK processes. These results suggest that more systematic study may illuminate pathologies associated with the failure of the FLK, a centrally-important but enigmatic biological process.

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrick Wallace

The fuzzy lock-and-key (FLK) powers a vast array of sophisticated logic gates at inter- and intra-cellular levels. We invoke representations of groupoid tiling wreath products analogous to the study of nonrigid molecules - or of related fuzzy symmetry extensions - to build a Morse Function that can describe spontaneous symmetry breaking phase transitions driven by information catalysis. The Function can, however, also be used to construct an Onsager-like stochastic dynamics, linked to the phase transition approach by the rich stability criteria associated with stochastic differential equations. The two methods provide complementary ways of looking at the FLK. A limit condition emerging from the stochastic dynamics gives insight into a cellular 'generalized inflammation' requiring progressively higher commitment of metabolic free energy for maintenance of basic FLK processes. These results suggest that more systematic study may illuminate pathologies associated with the failure of the FLK, a centrally-important but enigmatic biological process.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrick Wallace

The fuzzy lock-and-key (FLK) powers a vast array of sophisticated logic gates at inter- and intra-cellular levels. We invoke representations of groupoid tiling wreath products - analogous to the study of nonrigid molecules - or the syntopy group and related fuzzy symmetry extensions, to build a Morse Function that can describe spontaneous symmetry breaking phase transitions driven by information catalysis. The Function can, however, also be used to construct an Onsager-like stochastic dynamics, linked to the phase transition approach by the rich stability criteria associated with stochastic differential equations. The two methods provide complementary ways of looking at the FLK. A limit condition emerging from the stochastic dynamics gives insight into a cellular 'generalized inflammation' requiring progressively higher commitment of metabolic free energy for maintenance of basic FLK processes. These results suggest that more systematic study may illuminate pathologies associated with the failure of the FLK, a centrally-important but enigmatic biological process.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1123
Author(s):  
Carole Ayoub Moubareck

Human milk represents a cornerstone for growth and development of infants, with extensive array of benefits. In addition to exceptionally nutritive and bioactive components, human milk encompasses a complex community of signature bacteria that helps establish infant gut microbiota, contributes to maturation of infant immune system, and competitively interferes with pathogens. Among bioactive constituents of milk, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are particularly significant. These are non-digestible carbohydrates forming the third largest solid component in human milk. Valuable effects of HMOs include shaping intestinal microbiota, imparting antimicrobial effects, developing intestinal barrier, and modulating immune response. Moreover, recent investigations suggest correlations between HMOs and milk microbiota, with complex links possibly existing with environmental factors, genetics, geographical location, and other factors. In this review, and from a physiological and health implications perspective, milk benefits for newborns and mothers are highlighted. From a microbiological perspective, a focused insight into milk microbiota, including origins, diversity, benefits, and effect of maternal diet is presented. From a metabolic perspective, biochemical, physiological, and genetic significance of HMOs, and their probable relations to milk microbiota, are addressed. Ongoing research into mechanistic processes through which the rich biological assets of milk promote development, shaping of microbiota, and immunity is tackled.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-542
Author(s):  
Christopher Korten

This article reveals for the first time how Catholic clerics survived financially during the Napoleonic period in Italy (1796–1814). Despite the very rich, 200-year historiography on one of the Church's most critical periods, there is almost nothing on how religious clerics coped at this time. Their institutions had been despoiled by the French, often in collaboration with locals, negating traditional forms of clerical income, such as alms or rental income from non-ecclesiastical properties. This caused clerics to search out unorthodox – at times, non-canonical – ways of eking out a living, either for themselves, their religious communities or both, as such distinctions were often blurred. Masses were monetized and traded; ecclesiastical paraphernalia composed of precious metals were smelted and commodified, and relics were sold for profit. The uncovering of these controversial acts by men who in normal times were upstanding reveals the desperation of the times and provides insight into the rich discussion on determining the degrees of separation (and overlap) between the sacred and profane.


2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-242
Author(s):  
Erica van Boven

Abstract Rob van Essen’s award-winning novel The good son (2018) offers its readers a puzzling reading experience. It contains a tangle of storylines and seems to lack head or tail. This contribution aims to discover composition and meaning by analyzing various aspects provided by the novel itself: timeline, plot, science fiction, ideas, poetica. This approach provides insight into the rich reservoir of meanings, whereby the importance of imagination and creation appears to have a central place. The novel, which can be labelled as a dystopian science fiction novel, as well as a novel of ideas or a novel of poetics, wants us to become aware of the mysteriousness of everyday reality. Nederlandstalig abstract Rob van Essens bekroonde roman De goede zoon (2018) biedt de lezers een verwarrende leeservaring. De roman bevat een wirwar aan verhaallijnen en heeft op het eerste gezicht nauwelijks samenhang. In deze bijdrage wordt geprobeerd compositie en betekenis te ontdekken door middel van een analyse van verschillende aspecten die uit de roman zelf naar voren komen: tijdsverloop, plot, sciencefiction, ideeën, poëtica. Daarmee ontstaat inzicht in een rijk reservoir aan betekenissen waarin het belang van scheppen en verbeelden een centrale plaats heeft. De roman, die beschouwd kan worden als een dystopische sciencefictionroman maar ook als een ideeënroman of een poëticale roman, lijkt ons te willen doordringen van de raadselachtigheid van de alledaagse werkelijkheid.


2009 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Leszek Jodliński

Wilhelm von Blandowski (1822-1878) was born in Gleiwitz, Prussia (now Gliwice, Upper Silesia, Poland). From 1862 through 1868, Wilhelm von Blandowski may have taken up to 10, 000 photographs. Though only a portion of his photographic accomplishment has been preserved, the existing photographs provide an insight into their content and character, as well as providing us with the better understanding of the work of their author. The main emphasis in the paper will be on Blandowski’s photographs presently in the collections of Museum in Gliwice. It will focus on his portraits with reference to some of the formal experiments Blandowski carried out, such as photomontage and narrative photography. Attention will be also drawn to his creation of documentary-like and realistic photographs. Both the commercial nature of the photographic business run by Blandowski, as well as his personal interest in picturing the human condition, had a strong influence on his photography. He put the person at the center of his interest. This was reflected in Blandowski’s attempts to capture the natural world of the Prussian borderlands in the 1860s. Blandowski depicted a place inhabited by Germans, Jews and Poles ‘the promised land’ of early industrialization. Witnesses of these days, the known and anonymous characters look at us from the hundreds of prints taken by Blandowski. Among them one can see wealthy industrialists, priests and doctors, workers and peasants, children and women, the rich and the poor, persons of different professions, nationalities and confessions. The article concludes with a discussion of the influences that Blandowski has had on his contemporaries and also of his place in the history of early photography in Poland.


Author(s):  
Anitza Geneve

There is a need to understand the phenomenon of women's under-representation in the Australian Digital Content Industry (DCI) workforce. This chapter presents the findings from an Australian case study where both women working in the industry and industry stakeholders were interviewed for their insight into the influences on women's participation. The rich empirical data and findings from the case study are interpreted using the Acts of Agency theory—an original theory by the author of this chapter. As the chapter reveals there are five ‘Acts of Agency' (containing 10 agent-driven mechanisms) identified as influencing women's participation. Agent-driven mechanisms recognise the causal effect of people themselves; that is, the role individuals play in their participation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-407
Author(s):  
Dina Boero ◽  
Charles Kuper

A large dossier of primary sources survives for Symeon the Stylite the Younger from Late Antiquity. These sources include not only hagiographical evidence, but also archaeological remains from his cult site, homilies, and at least one letter. They offer insight into the varied voices which shaped Symeon’s identity, sanctity, and ministry in the sixth and early seventh centuries CE. The state of scholarship on these sources is uneven, however, with the result that scholars have primarily studied the saint and his cult through the lens of the hagiographic material, the Life of Symeon Stylites the Younger in particular. In order to lay the foundation for a full inquiry into the saint and his cult, this article disentangles the dossier of evidence on Symeon in Late Antiquity. It introduces each source in chronological order; provides an overview of authorship, date, and the state of scholarship for each source; and makes preliminary recommendations for paths forward. It is meant to be a guide for art historians and archaeologists unfamiliar with the sizeable literary corpus, textual scholars who do not often work with material sources, and, for both groups, an introduction to problems in the dossier. It encourages scholars to treat each source on its own terms and re-evaluate the rich interconnections between the textual and archaeological evidence.


Author(s):  
K. K. Yadav ◽  
Kumud Dhanwantri

In the present age of industrialization and unregulated urbanization, the Aravali ranges in India are facing deforestation and degradation. The major reasons behind this are the needs of the poor, and greed of the rich. Therefore, part of the Aravalli Ranges falling in different sub-regions of the National Capital Region, has been taken as case study. The chapter intends to provide an insight into the scenario of forests and wildlife in the sub-regions; the challenges, responses, and immediate initiatives taken up by the constituent state governments. It also discusses ways forward to engage the governments and local communities in the protection of forests and wildlife. The conclusion strives to provide probable strategies that can be adopted to transform the transitions of Aravalli into a positive one and ways for engaging government machinery for better governance to escape the grim future we foresee.


2019 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 269-303
Author(s):  
Adam Whittaker

The notational treatises of Johannes Tinctoris are among the most important texts on late fifteenth-century musical practice. His monumental treatise on the art of counterpoint, De arte contrapuncti, affords modern scholars a great insight into the intricacies of counterpoint practice on the cusp of the era of printed music theory. In the examples for this text, Tinctoris regularly uses additional markers to specify the key passages he is discussing. These signs often closely resemble signa congruentiae, though their function in these theoretical contexts is somewhat different from the deployment of such symbols in practical music sources. This article re-examines the historical justification for the term signa congruentiae, offering a new perspective on Tinctoris’s usage of such signs to explicate the rich text–example relationship underpinning his theoretical arguments and drawing attention to some novel uses of these signs that underpin these relationships.


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