Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence and the notions of reincarnation in Onyewuenyi and Majeed

This paper examines Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence and the notions of reincarnation in Onyewuenyi and Majeed with a view to showing how convergence and divergence of thought in the Nietzschean, Onyewuenyean and Majeedean philosophy contexts can inform cross-cultural philosophizing. Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence represents his deep thought, which claims that every aspect of life returns innumerable times, in an identical fashion. On the other hand, Onyewuenyi posits that reincarnation is un-African as he conceives it as the theory that when the soul separates from the body, at death, it informs another body for another span of life, while Majeed sees evidence of the African rootedness of the belief in reincarnation, based on his study of the Akan people of Ghana and concedes that the belief, itself, is irrational, since there is no scientific or empirical basis for it. Attempts are made to highlight the dynamics of Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence and to articulate the essential ingredients of Onyewuenyean and Majeedean conceptions of reincarnation. These forms of thought will be examined critically to exhibit their convergence and divergence in the context of cross-cultural philosophizing. Keywords: eternal recurrence, reincarnation, will to power, vital force, cross-cultural philosophy, spirit-world

Aesthetic attitude

It is undeniable that there are aesthetic and non-aesthetic attitudes. But is there such a thing as the aesthetic attitude? What is meant by the aesthetic attitude is the particular way in which we regard something when and only when we take an aesthetic interest in it. This assumes that on all occasions of aesthetic interest the object attended to is regarded in an identical fashion, unique to such occasions; and this assumption is problematic. If an attitude’s identity is determined by the features it is directed towards; if an aesthetic interest in an object is (by definition) an interest in its aesthetic qualities; and if the notion of aesthetic qualities can be explained in a uniform manner; then there is a unitary aesthetic attitude, namely an interest in an item’s aesthetic qualities. But this conception of the aesthetic attitude would be unsuitable for achieving the main aim of those who have posited the aesthetic attitude. This aim is to provide a definition of the aesthetic, but the aesthetic attitude, understood as any attitude focused upon an object’s aesthetic qualities, presupposes the idea of the aesthetic, and cannot be used to analyse it. So the question is whether there is a characterization of the aesthetic attitude that describes its nature without explicitly or implicitly relying on the concept of the aesthetic. There is no good reason to suppose so. Accordingly, there is no such thing as the aesthetic attitude, if this is an attitude that is both necessary and sufficient for aesthetic interest and that can be characterized independently of the aesthetic.

EMR-based handoff tool improves completeness of internal medicine residents’ handoffs

BackgroundThe majority of adverse events in healthcare involve communication breakdown. Physician-to-physician handoffs are particularly prone to communication errors, yet have been shown to be more complete when systematised according to a standardised bundle. Interventions that improve thoroughness of handoffs have not been widely studied.AimTo measure the effect of an electronic medical record (EMR)-based handoff tool on handoff completeness.InterventionThis EMR-based handoff tool included a radio button prompting users to classify patients as stable, a ‘watcher’ or unstable. It automatically pulled in EMR data on the patient’s 24-hour vitals, common lab tests and code status. Finally, it provided text boxes labelled ‘Active Issues’, ‘Action List (To-Dos)’ and ‘If/Then’ to fill in.Implementation and evaluationWritten handoffs from general and specialty (haematology, oncology, cardiology) Internal Medicine resident-run inpatient wards were evaluated on a randomly chosen representative sample of days in April and May 2015 at Stanford University Medical Center, focusing on a predefined set of content elements. The intervention was then implemented in June 2015 with postintervention data collected in an identical fashion in August to September 2016.ResultsHandoff completeness improved significantly (p<0.0001). Improvement in inclusion of illness severity was notable for its magnitude and its importance in establishing a consistent mental model of a patient. Elements that automatically pulled in data and those prompting users to actively fill in data both improved.ConclusionA simple EMR-based handoff tool providing a mix of frameworks for completion and automatic pull-in of objective data improved handoff completeness. This suggests that EMR-based interventions may be effective at improving handoffs, possibly leading to fewer medical errors and better patient care.

Heteronuclear NMR Spectroscopic Investigations of Gallium Complexes of Substituted Thiosemicarbazones Including X-Ray Crystal Structure, a New Halogen Exchange Strategy, and 18F Radiolabelling

Five thiosemicarbazone ligands have been synthesized, and their coordination chemistry with gallium was investigated. The reaction of these thiosemicarbazones with gallium chloride in alcohol solutions in the presence of a base yielded the corresponding penta-coordinated Ga-Cl metal complexes. In contrast, the reaction of gallium nitrate with the ligands in the presence of alkoxides resulted in the formation of the corresponding Ga-alkoxides, rather than the anticipated Ga-nitrate complex. The crystal structures of gallium chloride and gallium methoxide complexes of diphenylthiosemicarbazone comprise a planar configuration of the tetradentate-coordinated thiosemicarbazone with Ga3+ ion, with the chloride or methoxide groups occupying the apical coordination site. The corresponding ethoxido complex was also prepared in an identical fashion, and NMR analysis confirmed structural similarity to the methoxido complex. Facile halogen exchange reactions of the gallium chloride complexes were achieved by treatment with silver nitrate, followed by addition of KF or KI to generate the gallium fluoride and iodide complexes, respectively. This method of exchange using halogenated inorganic salts aids the preparation of group 13 fluorides, which are notoriously insoluble in organic solvents, for complexation with organic ligands. All compounds have been fully characterized by NMR, and the X-ray crystal structures of two of the complexes are reported. Additionally, the positron-emitting isotope 18F was introduced in the structure of the diphenyl gallium thiosemicarbazone complex.

Influence of support morphology on the bonding of molecules to nanoparticles

Supported metal nanoparticles form the basis of heterogeneous catalysts. Above a certain nanoparticle size, it is generally assumed that adsorbates bond in an identical fashion as on a semiinfinite crystal. This assumption has allowed the database on metal single crystals accumulated over the past 40 years to be used to model heterogeneous catalysts. Using a surface science approach to CO adsorption on supported Pd nanoparticles, we show that this assumption may be flawed. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure measurements, isolated to one nanoparticle, show that CO bonds upright on the nanoparticle top facets as expected from single-crystal data. However, the CO lateral registry differs from the single crystal. Our calculations indicate that this is caused by the strain on the nanoparticle, induced by carpet growth across the substrate step edges. This strain also weakens the CO–metal bond, which will reduce the energy barrier for catalytic reactions, including CO oxidation.

Red Cell Microparticles (RMP) and Other Cell-Derived Microparticles (C-MP) in Hemolytic Anemias

Abstract 5158 Introduction: The lifespan of red cells (RBC) are shortened by several mechanisms in hemolytic anemias (HA): Ab-mediated hemolysis in autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), complement-mediated lysis in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), microangiopathy in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and hemoglobinopathy in sickle cell anemia (SS) and thalassemia (Thal). During hemolysis, RMP are released along with MP from platelets (PMP), endothelia (EMP) and leukocytes (LMP). The role of MP in HA is unknown but may be involved in complications of HA. Methods: We investigated RMP and other MP profiles in the following hemolytic anemias in active phase: 14 patients with AIHA, 10 with TTP, 4 with PNH, 8 with SS or Thalassemia (SS - Thal), along with 60 healthy controls. Whole, citrated blood was centrifuged at 1600xgfor 10 minutes to yield platelet-poor plasma (PPP). Microparticles in the PPP were measured by FITC- or PE-conjugated mAb specific to the aforementioned cell types. Control plasma was prepared in an identical fashion from healthy volunteers. We compared RMP profiles and other MP in HA during active phase and in remission. Associations with clinical features were calculated using the R statistical software. Results: Means and standard deviations of C-MP in the different types of HA are shown in the TABLE. Mean RMP and PMP were highest in SS-Thal, followed by AIHA. Mean Annexin V binding procoagluant MP were higher in all subgroups of HA and highest in SS-Thal, followed by TTP. EMP in all subgroups was similar or lower than controls. Regarding clinical associations, high RMP levels were associated with low hemoglobin (p=0. 01), high reticulocytes (p=0. 003), and high LDH (p=0. 01) across all groups. High reticuloctye counts (>3. 0 %) were also associated with significantly elevated PMP (p=0. 04) and total MP counts by Ulex (p=0. 003). HAs in remission had marginally lower RMP levels than controls (p=0. 05). None of the subtypes had significantly higher EMP, LMP, or PMP compared to each other or controls. Conclusion: The small population yielded large standard deviations in the MP counts and did not allow statistical study among subgroups of patients with HA. However prothrombotic MPs such as Annexin V, PMP tend to be higher in HA. A larger scale future study will clarify this issue. The constellation of elevated LDH, reticulocytes, and decreased hemoglobin were associated with increased RMP. Therefore we suggest that elevated RMP may be viewed as an additional, new diagnostic marker of active hemolysis. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Structure and function of SirC from Bacillus megaterium: a metal-binding precorrin-2 dehydrogenase

In Bacillus megaterium, the synthesis of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and sirohaem diverges at sirohydrochlorin along the branched modified tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway. This key intermediate is made by the action of SirC, a precorrin-2 dehydrogenase that requires NAD+ as a cofactor. The structure of SirC has now been solved by X-ray crystallography to 2.8 Å (1 Å = 0.1 nm) resolution. The protein is shown to consist of three domains and has a similar topology to the multifunctional sirohaem synthases Met8p and the N-terminal region of CysG, both of which catalyse not only the dehydrogenation of precorrin-2 but also the ferrochelation of sirohydrochlorin to give sirohaem. Guided by the structure, in the present study a number of active-site residues within SirC were investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. No active-site general base was identified, although surprisingly some of the resulting protein variants were found to have significantly enhanced catalytic activity. Unexpectedly, SirC was found to bind metal ions such as cobalt and copper, and to bind them in an identical fashion with that observed in Met8p. It is suggested that SirC may have evolved from a Met8p-like protein by loss of its chelatase activity. It is proposed that the ability of SirC to act as a single monofunctional enzyme, in conjunction with an independent chelatase, may provide greater control over the intermediate at this branchpoint in the synthesis of sirohaem and cobalamin.

The Theological Function of Repetition in the Old Testament Canon

It is notable feature of the Old Testament that several accounts or passages occur more than once, often in similar but not identical fashion. Such repetitions have o en been a key feature leading to source-critical analyses of Old Testament texts, but several different types of examples of repetition are discussed in order to demonstrate that there is a bigger question to hand: why should the Old Testament canon be so marked by repetitions of material large and small? It is suggested that such repetition is not an unforeseen by-product of the editing and collation process, nor is it simply an editorial desire to include all tried and tested texts regardless of overlap. Rather repetition serves a theological function, which comes into focus when we consider Old Testament texts as a form of testimony. In the light of Deuteronomy 19:15 and questions of trustworthy testimony, it is suggested that textual repetition in the Old Testament serves to foreground a claim to the nature of these texts as reliable witness to the God of Israel. Some hermeneutical implications are explored briefly.

Morphometric changes after thermal and methacholine bronchoprovocations

To determine whether there are distinctions in the location and pattern of response between different bronchoprovocations, we performed high-resolution computer-assisted tomography in 10 asthmatic subjects before and after isocapnic hyperventilation of frigid air (HV) and methacholine (Meth). The luminal areas of the trachea, main stem, lobar, and segmental bronchi were computed before and after each provocation and blindly compared. Both stimuli reduced the 1-s forced expiratory volume similarly (percent change in 1-s forced expiratory volume HV = 28.1 ± 5.5%, Meth = 25.8 ± 5.2%; P = 0.69) but did so in different fashions. Each provocation was associated with the development of both bronchial narrowing and dilation; however, more airways constricted with HV (67.7%) than with Meth (47.0%; P < 0.001). Furthermore, there was little concordance between either the magnitude or direction of change between stimuli in any region of the lung ( r = 0.25). In general, the frequency of narrowing increased with branching. Constriction became more prominent in the lobar regions and increased further in the segmental branches, but a wide range of intensity existed. These data demonstrate that provocational stimuli evoke complex morphometric changes within the tracheobronchial tree and that different agonists produce different patterns. Thermal stimuli chiefly influence the segmental level, whereas the response to Meth develops more distally. Even within this distribution, the same airway does not respond in an identical fashion to different stimuli, so there does not appear to be a uniform trigger zone.