#synthesis method

[newstodays1]

Nanoparticle Synthesis Methods: Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Approaches

Nanoparticles (1–100 nm) are synthesized using physical, chemical, or biological methods, each offering unique control over size, shape, and functionality. Below is a detailed breakdown of key synthesis techniques with references to peer-reviewed studies. 1. Top-Down Synthesis (Breaking Bulk into Nano) Process: Large materials are physically fragmented into nanoparticles. A. Mechanical…

[bmpmp3]

although it is a little funny, whenever a new version of a vocal synth comes out on a different engine, the biggest complaint i always see is that the new version "doesn't sound like them". we all just choose our favourite type of engine noise in the end <3

[saiboubaiyou]

合成とPCR

Preparation Reagents

・ISOGENⅡ 　　　　　　　　　　　　　

・2mL tube

・RNA free water 　　　　　

・1.5mL tube

・p-Bromoanisole 　　　　　　　　　　　　

・Tube stand (blue letters)

・Isopropanol  　　　　　　　　　　　　　

・10、100、1000μL tip

・75% ethanol 　　　　　　　　　　　　　

・Micropipettes 5 kinds (6 kinds)

To be done before the experiment

UV should be applied for at least 2 hours.

(If you start in the morning, you can start the night before.)

Preparation of necessary reagents

・Ethanol: The prepared ethanol is 99.5% ethanol. Dilution is necessary.

Method: Dilute 35 mL of ethanol and 15 mL of RNase free water in a 50-mL tube (white lid).

Dilute with 35 mL of ethanol and 15 mL of RNase free water.

・Isopropanol: Dispense into a 50-mL tube.

・Preparation of RNase free water

tRNA measurement

① Dispense 1 mL of ISOGENⅡ into a 2 mL tube.

② Aspirate the medium, put ① into Dish, peel off the cell, and return it to the 2 mL tube.

(Can be stored at -80°C)

③ Replace the aspirator pasteur and gallon bottle.

④ Add 400 μL (0.4 mL) of RNAse free water into the tube (2).

⑤ Shake ④ vigorously by hand for 15 seconds. Then, leave at room temperature for 5 to 15 minutes.

⑥ Centrifuge at 4°C, Max speed, for 15 minutes.

(Put 3.5 μL of p-bromoanisole in another 1.5-mL tube.)

⑦ Take 700 μL of the supernatant and put it into the tube containing p-bromoanisole. Then, shake vigorously for 15 seconds and leave in a clean bench for 5 minutes.

⑧ Centrifuge at 4°C, Max speed, for 10 minutes.

⑨ Put 500 μL of isopropanol in another 1.5-mL tube.

(Write sample name, date, name, and tRNA on the lid.)

⑩ Take 500 μL of the supernatant of ⑧, add it to ⑨, mix by inversion, and leave for 10 minutes.

⑪ Centrifuge at 4°C, max speed, for 10 minutes.

⑫ Aspirate the supernatant.

⑬ Add 0.5mL 75% ethanol, centrifuge at 4°C, max speed, for 5 minutes.

⑭ Aspirate the supernatant.

⑮ Perform steps 13 and 14 again.

⑯ Centrifuge (1 min) to increase the purity of the pellet. (Take the excess supernatant with a 1 µL tip)

⑰ Cover the tube with a prowipe with the lid open and leave it in the clean bench for 10 minutes.

(Turn off the fan of the clean bench.) (Drying is complete when the pellet turns from white to clear)

Dissolve (pipetted) in ⑱ 8 µL RNAse free water

(The RNA can be stored at -20°C, but since RNA degrades quickly, it is recommended that the cDNA be prepared within one day.)

⑲ Flushing

⑳ 20 μL of RNA free water in a 1.5 mL tube for tRNA measurement*.

*tRNA measurement method

① Open a dedicated PC

② Click the Nano Drop 2000 icon.

③Select "No" in the Question window and "OK" in the next window.

④ Confirm that the lid of the instrument is closed, and select "Nucleic Acid".

⑤ Remove all ✔︎ on the left side of the screen.

⑥ Select "RNA" for Target on the right side of the screen.

⑦Set the unit to ng/μL. (8) Open the lid of the analyzer and select "Nucleic Acid".

⑧Open the lid of the analyzer, pour 1 μL of RNA free water into the measurement site, wash the site twice, and click "blank" in the upper left corner of the screen.

⑨Add 1 μL of sample and click "Measurement" in the upper left corner.

→Input the values of concentration, 260/280 and 260/230 into your Excel.

　Measure each sample twice and take the average.

⑩When finished, rinse the sample twice with water and turn off the PC.

cDNA Synthesis Method

Preparation

・Set up the incubator in advance.

・Dilute Random Primer 10-fold with TE Buffer.

・Dilute dNTPs 2.5x in TE Buffer.

Methods.

① Add 5Buffer, 10mM dNTPs, Revertra Ase, and RNAse Inhibitior in this order to a 1.5mL tube.

② Add 1 μL of Random Primer to a new 1.5 mL tube.

③ Add the sample and RNAse free water to (2), based on the input for the tRNA concentration measurement.

④ Incubate at 65℃ for 5 minutes. Then, open the lid, immediately hold the tube and place the tube on ice.

⑤ Flush the sample and put 6.75 μL of mix solution.

⑥ Annealing 30℃, 10 min.

⑦ Enzyme reaction 42℃, 60 min.

⑧ Transformation 99℃, 5 min.

⑨ Put the sample on ice, flush, and transfer to the freezer.

Mix solution for cDNA synthesis (make a little extra)

5×Buffer = 4

10 mM dNTPs = 2

ReverTra Ace = 0.25

RNAse Inhibitor = 0.5

total = 20

Unit: μL

RT-qPCR method

① Put 30 μL of TE buffer into a tube.

② Add 20 μL of primer stock solution.

③ Vortex the tubes, then add water, primers (Forward, Reverse), and Luna in this order.

④ Mark the 8 tubes and put in the mix solution. (14.7 µL) ⑤ Put in the sample.

⑤ Add sample (0.3 µL). (0.3 µL) ⑥ Put the sample into the PCR machine.

⑥ Put the sample into the PCR device**.

Mix solution

Luna = 7.5

Forward = 0.18

Reverse = 0.18

RNA free水 = 6.84

RT-qPCR instrument

① Click on "New experiment

② Click on "Comparative quantitation

③ Set the tube location.

④ Enter ✔︎ in "SYBR" at "Add Dyes". (5) Adjust the temperature in "Thermal profile".

⑤ Adjust the temperature in "Thermal profile" (6) Click "+" to set the temperature.

⑥ Click "+" and press "melt" to see the melt curve (accuracy index).

⑦ Click "Run experiment" and click "Save? →Click "OK".

⑧ Select "hattori", choose your file, and put in the title, date, etc.

⑨ Check if the place you want to measure is surrounded by a bold black line and if "SYBR" is included.

⑩ Click "save" to start measurement.

[majimaisms]

do i need to say anything

ok majima

[glowettee]

hi there! im a fan of your page 💕

can you give me the best studying techniques?

hi angel!! @mythicalmarion tysm for asking about study techniques 🤍 i'm so excited to share my secret methods that helped me maintain perfect grades while still having a dreamy lifestyle + time for self-care!! and thank you for being a fan of my blog, it means everything to me. <3

~ ♡ my non-basic study secrets that actually work ♡ ~

(don't mind the number formatting)

the neural bridging technique this is literally my favorite discovery!! instead of traditional note-taking, i create what i call "neural bridges" between different subjects. for example, when studying both literature + history, i connect historical events with the literature written during that time. i use a special notebook divided into sections where each page has two columns - one for each subject. the connections help you understand both subjects deeper + create stronger memory patterns!!

here's how i do it:

example:

left column: historical event

right column: literary connection

middle: draw connecting lines + add small insights

bottom: write how they influenced each other

the shadow expert method this changed everything for me!! i pretend i'm going to be interviewed as an expert on the topic i'm studying. i create potential interview questions + prepare detailed answers. but here's the twist - i record myself answering these questions in three different ways:

basic explanation (like i'm talking to a friend)

detailed analysis (like i'm teaching a class)

complex discussion (like i'm at a conference)

this forces you to understand the topic from multiple angles + helps you explain concepts in different ways!!

the reverse engineering study system instead of starting with the basics, i begin with the most complex example i can find and work backwards to understand the fundamentals. for example, in calculus, i start with a complicated equation + break it down into smaller parts until i reach the basic concepts.

my process looks like:

find the hardest example in the textbook

list every concept needed to understand it

create a concept map working backwards

study each component separately

rebuild the complex example step by step

the sensory anchoring technique this is seriously game-changing!! i associate different types of information with specific sensory experiences:

theoretical concepts - study while standing

factual information - sitting at my desk

problem-solving - walking slowly

memorization - gentle swaying

review - lying down

your body literally creates muscle memory associated with different types of learning!!

the metacognition mapping strategy i created this method where i track my understanding using what i call "clarity scores":

level 1: can recognize it

level 2: can explain it simply

level 3: can teach it

level 4: can apply it to new situations

level 5: can connect it to other topics

i keep a spreadsheet tracking my clarity levels for each topic + focus my study time on moving everything to level 5!!

the information architecture method instead of linear notes, i create what i call "knowledge buildings":

foundation: basic principles

first floor: key concepts

second floor: applications

top floor: advanced ideas

roof: real-world connections

each "floor" must be solid before moving up + i review from top to bottom weekly!!

the cognitive stamina training this is my absolute secret weapon!! i use a special interval system based on brain wave patterns:

32 minutes of focused study

8 minutes of active recall

16 minutes of teaching the material to my plushies

4 minutes of complete rest

the specific timing helps maintain peak mental performance + prevents study fatigue!!

the synthesis spiral evolution this method literally transformed how i retain information:

create main concept spirals

add branch spirals for subtopics

connect related concepts with colored lines

review by tracing the spiral paths

add new connections each study session

your notes evolve into a beautiful web of knowledge that grows with your understanding!!

these methods might seem different from typical study advice, but they're based on how our brains actually process + store information!! i developed these through lots of research + personal experimentation, and they've helped me maintain perfect grades while still having time for self-care, hobbies + fun!!

sending you the biggest hug + all my good study vibes!! remember that effective studying is about working with your brain, not against it <3

p.s. if you try any of these methods, please let me know how they work for you!! i love hearing about your study journeys!!

xoxo, mindy 🤍

glowettee hotline is still open, drop your dilemmas before the next advice post 💌: https://bit.ly/glowetteehotline

[bee-calm]

tbhk but they're lab-based phd students- because sometimes you just need to make the most self-indulgent au you can think of

nene

marine microbiology

talks to her culture plates, swears it makes them grow faster

tries to put cute labels on her samples then can’t remember what ANY of her shorthand means the next day

forgets her pass and gets locked out at least once a day 

algae clip-art in all of her presentations

sings in the microscope room, thinks nobody can hear her singing in the microscope room

once thought she’d re-written scientific dogma then realised she’d put a decimal point in the wrong place

thinks transcriptomics is witchcraft. is currently doing transcriptomics.

brings chocolates for the rest of the lab, is everyone’s favourite because of it

became best friends with aoi when they somehow managed to double-book the flow cytometer

could read those papers she’s been saving for weeks, OR she could spend two hours changing the colour scheme on her figures 

amane

materials chemistry, probably something space-exploration-aligned

pure synthesis, if it’s bigger than a kilodalton then he doesn’t want it anywhere near him

if there is an unlabelled round-bottom flask in the lab freezer then there’s a 90% chance it belongs to him. claims he can tell the chemicals apart by Vibes alone (amane voice: nmr is for Weaklings)

worlds messiest fume hood, yet somehow the worlds most immaculate desk-space. (currently the biggest scientific mystery the rest of the lab is working towards) 

will tell people (read: kou) that biochem isn’t real chemistry just to cause problems 

really good at teaching project students

also really good at scaring the project students by pretending to drink the toxic chemicals

extensive lanyard pin collection 

nobody has ever actually seen him go home

has a set of glassware-themed coffee mugs. much debate as to whether or not he just stole them from the lab.

kou

structural biology

just a guy and his 10 litre E.coli grow-up

once spilled an vat of LB all over the bacteria room. legend has it the stains are still there to this day

banned teru from the cryoEM room after he walked in and the entire setup almost crashed 

likes modelling structures, wonders why his computer is always running so slowly, fails to consider that the 5 pymol projects he has open at all times may have something to do with it

serial offender for walking home still wearing his goggles

thinks mammalian cell work is witchcraft 

incredibly chaotic labwork processes, still somehow gets the results anyway. most common saying: ‘this is not going in the methods section’

once dropped his earring into the liquid nitrogen tank, has still not lived it down 

has a framed photo of his first crystal on his desk

ongoing war with mitsuba over whether electron microscopy is real microscopy or not

keeps taking on side projects for other people, has yet to realise that this may be the reason he never gets to go home on time

teru

molecular biology

theory x1000, ask him a question after his presentation and there’s a 90% chance he’s got a bonus slide already prepared to answer it

benchwork also x1000, that person who asks ‘oh can i try?’ and gets amazing results first time on the experiment you’ve been trying to get right for weeks.

cell culture x0, banned from the tissue culture room, WILL contaminate any flask put within 5 feet of him

the machines hate him. the centrifuge keeps trying to eat his samples. the plate reader breaks on him at least once a week.

serial weekender

stickler for lab safety, can and will send out threatening emails reminding people to wear their gloves and lab coats

once drew the entire signalling cascade for his target molecule from memory on the whiteboard in a lab meeting and it was impressive enough that nobody has wiped it off yet 

keeps doing horrendous timecourses, can be found taking plate readings at stupid o clock in the morning 

aoi

immunology 

the flow panels she manages to pull off are a constant subject of awe and horror 

likes working weekends because it means nobody can hear her verbally threatening her cell cultures when they’re not behaving

can fit a scary amount of information onto the lid of an eppendorf tube

when stressed can be found hiding out in the plant biology greenhouses. has made friends with some genetically modified tomatoes

rocks up to the lab meeting with publication-ready figures for an experiment she did yesterday

the source of 90% of the passive aggressive post-it notes around the lab

everyone dreads her post-presentation questions. will dissect your experiments and do it with a smile.

started off working normal hours but has gradually become borderline nocturnal over time

teru contaminated her cells once, has been using it as leverage to make him collect things from stores for her ever since

keeps giving akane’s email to sales reps instead of her own so she can get free stuff without ever being contacted by them again

akane

biophysics 

scary single molecule data, deliberately puts huge equations on his presentations so nobody will ask him questions

might as well get paid lab tech wages too, chronically stuck on stock solution duty

crashed the lab computer trying to run one of his datasets on it

the only reason the lab has a booking system for the equipment. anarchy would prevail if he wasn’t around.

will go off to do photobleaching experiments and emerge hours later looking like a cave creature

keeps having to fix the equipment that teru breaks

perpetually receiving emails meant for aoi by people who got their names mixed up

also perpetually receiving emails from the company sales reps who aoi told his email to so she wouldn’t have to deal with them

says he needs to stop working weekends, then suddenly it’s saturday and he’s stuck in the microscope room with teru again

has somehow acquired a small army of project students (none of them are studying the same thing as him)

incubation time= coffee time

mitsuba

cell biology

made a cell line, treats it like it’s his baby

trust issues, won’t let ANYONE share his reagents. serial pipette hoarder.

neat lab book, can still somehow never find where he put his protocols or what concentrations he used his antibodies at

could probably win an award for his immunofluorescence images, someone automatically turns the lights off when it’s his turn to present in lab meetings bc he’s guaranteed to have cool microscopy to show

thinks bacteria work is disgusting. ensures kou knows this.

[emerging from a 5-hour session in the microscope room] what day is it?????

loves his work, doesn’t act like it (the reagents smell bad. the lab benches are dirty. people keep using the milk he brought to put in the fridge. nobody cleans the water bath. if there’s nothing to complain about, he’ll make something.)

threatens to move to industry at least once a day 

outright refuses to do weekends

found the perfect colour scheme for his graphs, considers this the highlight of his entire degree

any minor inconvenience is an excuse to go to the cafe on campus

natsuhiko

innate immunity, infection

zebrafish models

nobody is sure if he bought a tie-dye lab coat or if it’s just that badly stained

has absolutely named his fish (doesn’t actually remember which is which, but the sentiment is there)

forever followed by a gaggle of project students. is constantly reminding them to do as he says, not as he does 

incubation times are a suggestion, not a rule (read: keeps getting distracted and leaving his experiments way longer than necessary)

convinced he’s going to be patient zero of the zombie apocalypse when he accidentally creates super-salmonella and infects himself 

serial distractor, WILL chat to people while they’re in the middle of a 96-well plate

isn’t going to eat the LB agar, but the temptation is always there

someone bought him the ‘women want me, fish fear me’ hat for his birthday, keeps it on his desk

the confocal microscope hates to see him coming (5 hours is a short session when you’re trying to take z-stacks of an entire fish)

sakura 

drug discovery 

probably dabbles in synthesis, plays orchestral music while running columns bc apparently it gives them better separation 

tea drawer in the office, WILL pull out an entire teapot during their incubation times 

best dressed person in the lab, at all times

eternal struggle of dangly earrings versus the samples they’re leaning over

neat handwriting, still terrible at labelling eppendorfs (what are the lids so small for)

incubation times to the second

runs BIG experiments, has mastered the art of the plate plan. made a template which has somehow ended up distributed around the entire department 

ceo of not replying to sales rep emails 

mildly allergic to the nitrile gloves, the drawer below the tea drawer is the hand cream drawer

earphones + cell culture is the ideal de-stress activity

over-prepares for presentations, will spend 2 weeks rehearsing an informal flash talk

probably the only person who actually sends their lab coat to get washed

mei

tissue engineering 

has designed all of her labmates a mug with terrible research-relevant science puns on them 

invented side-projects, has probably got a collaboration ongoing with every other lab in the department 

bought a label printer for her reagents, has way too much fun with it

thought a week-long experiment was bad? try two months

life goal is to get to try making DNA origami just to say she did it

keeps starting doodle chains on the lab whiteboard

experiment worked= sweet treat to celebrate

experiment failed= sweet treat to commiserate 

probably did a masters in the microbiology department, they keep trying to convince her to switch projects back to them bc her streak plating was gallery-worthy

picks up her lab coat and 10 pens fall out of the pockets

sold her soul to parafilm

tsukasa

RNA therapeutics

goes in cell culture with no gloves, still somehow doesn’t get contamination 

that one insane person who actually enjoys the stress of working with RNA

doesn’t even do SDS-PAGE but still has coomassie stain all over his lab coat 

keeps launching dry ice rockets 

homebrewed a microfluidics system in the lab, it makes weird noises at night and everyone is slightly terrified of it

keeps materialising in the corner of the microscope room when mitsuba is in the middle of taking images. the cause of many a dropped slide.

plots his data in excel

worlds worst file names. no system, no dates, just a keyboard smash and a prayer

who needs desk space when you can just move your laptop into the lab

gave into temptation and tasted the cell culture media once. it was disappointing 

either the most incoherent presentation you’ve ever seen, or a major scientific breakthrough, no inbetween 

[apas-95]

As much as the term is misused by reactionaries to mean 'cultural degeneracy', there is in fact such a thing as postmodernism, and it is in fact, like the other ideological currents that become prominent under capitalism, bourgeois in character.

Modernism was the ideological undercurrent of the historical materialist works of Marx, the nationalism of fascists, and the utopianism of the liberals. It was the shared belief held in the early capitalist period that the universe, the world, and human society were all fundamentally knowable and understandable to mortal men. The advance of the sciences and liberal enlightenment philosophy were, genuinely, an incredible and liberatory force in the revolution against the feudal world-system. Only in the capitalist period, with the development of the means and relations of production, could such an understanding of society as Marxism exist - Marxism being, fundamentally, the application of the scientific method to human history in service of the proletariat.

Post-modernism, as an ideological current, was developed in the NATO block following the second world war, though it had been incubating prior, at a much increased rate since the establishment of the first socialist state. It represented a rejection of modernism's 'grand narratives', and an assertion that each and every individual experience was so utterly unique and varied that it was impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions about society at large - only about specific people. Post-modernism is not only the basis of the genocidal neoliberal ideology whose economic shock doctrine wracked the global south, but also of a significant portion of 'progressive' ideologies (the similarity, ultimately, of the Margaret Thatcher quote to the belief of the average 'communists are homophobic!' claimant not escaping notice). Fundamentally, it begins its analyses not from the scale of society to progress towards the individual, but from the individual to extrapolate out to society - it is an idealism that reduces all things in society to individual psychological quirks (or disorders, egads).

In the context of a post-modernist system (even world-system), the correct theory (in order to carry out correct practice) will necessarily need to deviate from traditional, modernist thought in some ways. In which ways it must deviate can only be discovered through practice, but we know that it cannot simply absorb elements of postmodernism in an eclectic manner - it must be a genuine synthesis, whose principal purpose is to overcome, annihilate, and replace postmodernist thought (along with the rest of bourgeois thought in general).

[dreadwedge]

When the aliens arrived, finding our planet long since abandoned, they faced little resistance. Their preliminary research into our society had suggested that it was customary for extrasolar visitors to greet humanity with a display of great violence, and not wanting to disappoint us, they had prepared a full-scale invasion fleet. Painstakingly, though it had taken centuries, they engineered impractical, silent, disk-shaped vessels like those they had seen in our transmissions, for surely we would accept nothing less. It all seemed a bit much, but who were they to sniff at the social practices of a people who had evolved in circumstances so foreign to their own. Best to match our energy, they thought. But upon arrival, there were no cows to abduct, no fields of crops in which to to trace circles. And so they did the next best thing: they parked their warships in our empty streets, took up residence in our vacant houses, and endeavored to pick up where we had left off and live as they imagined the humans might have. It would be some years before the patterns began to make sense. "The knife juice." one colonist might say. "The knife juice is an essential ingredient in the construction of vittles; of this we have overwhelming evidence. But must the juice come from the knife itself? The synthesis of the milkable knife-thing may be trivial to us owing to the advent of our ubiquitous blade-producing aperture technologies, but I have seen no such apparati left behind by our hosts. Is it possible that the knife-juice is simply named as such due to the knife-thing as a method of conveyance, the juice then being product of the animal organ, i.e. blood/urine, extracted for culinary purposes via the aforementioned utensil." To which another alien might reply, "Preposterous. The knife, I believe, is a bone, and the juice its marrow." Many such an argument was had over dinner, as dinner was, apparently, mostly for arguing. They also found mitt romney's cryogenically-frozen brain and brought him back as a despicable me minion or something. Idk i got tired of writing the post. Life is a rare precious thing and sometimes you gotta suck it up and be a living memorial i guess. Didn't sleep much last night. Post over

[bmpmp3]

i do love vocal synth duets where its between two voicebanks of the same character - a la utau teto & synthv teto...... so cutes

[midnight-in-town]

Fun fact, according to Editor K, Sieglinde's dad's appearance was largely inspired by Fritz Haber :

a German chemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his invention of the Haber process, a method used in industry to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas. This invention is important for the large-scale synthesis of fertilizers and explosives.

Always nice to know where the inspiration comes from. :)

[talonabraxas]

The Kerubim “the Strong Ones” Talon Abraxas The Kerubim can be conceived of as a reflection of the Four Holy Living Creatures of Kether, the powers of the Eternal Elements. The duty of the Chayoth ha-Qodesh is to formulate the primary pattern upon which the rest of existence is built. These Kerubic forces descend the Middle Pillar to Yesod where the Kerubim, as the structural powers of the Universe, support this existence. Therefore, the Kerubim are the formative powers of the Elements stationed in the sphere of Yesod, the etheric substructure that supports the physical universe. As these etheric powers, the Kerubim are the formative forces of the world and humankind. As Angels of Lunar Yesod, the Kerubim also have an association with time, the four Kerubic points in the year which are the Hermetic Qabalah’s cross quarter days. Their name means “the Strong Ones” which is derived from the Akkadian word Karibu which means “one who prays” or “one who intercedes.”

The work of the Kerubim is to influence communication between the inner and outer worlds by serving as Guardians, Heralds, Equilibrators and Guides. They work on the building of knowledge and the harnessing of force in etheric or Yesodic methods. One of these methods is the use of symbols relating to Yesodic perception within the depths of the unconscious mind. With the progression of time, these symbols become less ritualistic and more psychic, becoming tools in the hands of the aspirant. These images are the contents of the Treasure House of Images, and the forces behind these images are the Angels of Yesod.

The Tetradic Kerubim are the animated powers of YHVH working through the fixed signs of the Zodiac. As given in Exodus 25:18-19 and 37:9, their shapes represent the aspects of the four dynamics of the Elements. These energies are not the Elements themselves, but rather are placed between the Angels and the Elements in hierarchy. One of the functions of the Kerubim is to take these energies and set them into motion and as such,, this Choir of Angels has a direct affect on the Earth and Man. As presidents of the Elemental Forces, these Four Kerubim are each assigned one of the letters of the Divine Name YHVH, and they operate in and through the four astral Elements in Yesod before these Elements are formulated in the physical world of Malkuth.

This Tetrad serves as Equilibrators by creating a stable nucleus from which the physical world comes forth into being. These four Vice-Gerants of the Elements, under the Presidency of Spirit (Gabriel), are synthesized in the formula of YHSHVH. Yod, Lion, Nequaquam Vacuum, Nowhere a Void; He, Eagle, Libertas Evangelii, Liberty of the Gospel; Vau, Man, Dei Intacta Gloria, Unsullied Glory of God; and Heh (f), Ox, Legis Jugum, Yoke of the law; and in the midst of the four letters is Shin, the letter of Spirit, which, formed from the Tetragrammaton, gives the Divine name of Yeheshua, The Pentagram represents the concentrated force of the Spirit and the four Elements governed by the five letters of the Name of the Restorer, YHSHVH and is not only attributed to the planet Mars, but also shows the Kerubim and the Wheel of Spirit. The Kerubim of Ezekiel have four faces, those of the Lion, the Bull, the Man and the Eagle, alternating with each other by rotation. Beside them was the symbolic form of the Spirit, symbolized by the wheel. As suggested by the two wings that covered their bodies and the two wings that stretched upwards to each other, the synthesis of the Kerubim is found in the revolving Cross, in the Pentagram, and in the idea Spirit dominating the four Elements.

The Kerubim are winged celestial beings which, unlike most conceptions of angels as anthropomorphic, are zoomorphic. On the 32nd Path between Malkuth and Yesod, the Zelator encounters these Four Kerubim who perform elemental purifications which aid in the alchemical transformation of the aspirant. In this ritual, the aspirant learns that the Elemental Spirits are invoked through the power and governance of the Kerubim and their Zodiacal symbols. They are given Hebrew names but their appearance is primarily Egyptian:

Adam (Hebrew for Man), Kerub of Air, stationed in the East, human-headed Aquarius. “The Priest with the Mask of Osiris spake and said, ‘Thou canst not pass the Gate of the Eastern Heaven unless thou canst tell me my name’.” of which is replied “Thou art NUT, Goddess of the Firmament of Air. Thou art HORMAKU, Lord of the Eastern Sun.”

Aryeh (Hebrew for Lion), Kerub of Fire, stationed in the South, Lion-headed Leo. “The Priest with the mask of the Lion spake and said, ‘Thou canst not pass the Gate of the Southern Heaven unless thou canst tell me my name’.” Of which is replied, “Thou art MAU the Lion, Very Powerful Lord of Fire. Thou art RA, the Sun in his strength.”

Nesher (Hebrew meaning Eagle), Kerub of Water, stationed in the West, Eagle-headed Scorpio. “The Priest with the mask of the Eagle spake and said, “Thou canst not pass the Gate of the Western Heaven unless thou canst tell me my name’.” of which is replied “HEKA, Mistress of HESUR, Ruler of Water, is Thy name. Thou art TOUM, the Setting Sun.”

Shor (Hebrew meaning Bull), Kerub of Earth, stationed in the North, Bull-headed Taurus. “The Priest with the mask of the Ox spake and said ‘Thou canst not pass the Gate of the Northern Heaven unless thou canst tell me my name’.” of which is responded, “SATEM, in the abode of SHU, the Bull of Earth, is Thy name. Thou art KEPHRA, the Sun at Night.”

The arrangement of the Theoricus Hall of only four officers suggests the conciliatory Element of Air reconciling the opposing energies within the Hall, resulting in a perfect balance of forces. The number four is associated with Chesed, the first Sephirah to manifest below the Abyss, but it also refers to Yesod as the firm foundation within which the Four Elements are given etheric form which then later materialize in Malkuth during the course of the Lightning Flash.

In the Theoricus Ritual, as the Hierophant addresses the candidate on the meaning of the Cross within the Triangle, it is stated that the Cross, placed upon the Altar at the base of the Tree of Life, refers to the Four Rivers of Paradise. It is Gabriel who rules the “Living Water streams that well from out the Highest Throne.” “…And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Revelations 22:1). These Rivers are referred to in Genesis 2:10-14: “And a River, Nahar, went forth out of Eden to water the Garden, and from thence it was parted and come into four heads. And the name of the First River is Pison, it is that which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. There is Bdellium and the Onyx stone. [–Leo.] And the name of the Second River is Gihom, the same as that which compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. [–Scorpio.] And the Name of the Third River is Hiddekel, that is it which goeth forth to the East of Assyria. [–Aquarius.] And the Fourth River is Euphrates. [–Taurus.]” This indicates the Presidency of Spirit (Gabriel) over the four Elements.

In the Zelator Ritual the aspirant is told. “And Tetragrammaton placed Kerubim at the East of the Garden of Eden and a Flaming Sword which turned every way to keep the Path of the Tree of Life, for He has created Nature that Man, being cast out of Eden, may not fall into the Void. He has bound Man with the Stars, as with a chain. He allures him with scattered fragments of the Divine Body in bird and beast and flower, and He laments over him in the Wind and the Sea and in the Birds. When the times are ended, He will call the Kerubim from the East of the Garden, and all shall be consumed and become Infinite and Holy.” …. “This drawing of the Flaming Sword of the Kerubim is a representation of the Guardians of the Gates of Eden.

As the Qabalah teaches, the everlasting abode of the Higher Self is in the Eden of Paradise, the supernal sanctuary which is forever guarded from chaos by the Flaming Sword of the Kerubim whirling across borders of the Abyss. After the descent from Grace, the Kerubim were stationed at the Abyss to separate the Supernals from the effects of the Fall.

The Four Kerubim, through their assignation to the four Archangels, are Four of the Seven in the Presence of the Lord. This description of the Kerubim is from John’s vision (Revelations 4:7-8): “And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night saying, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, is and is to come.’ ” Here, the Kerubim are seen as single-headed but having six wings, thus uniting the powers of the number seven (the Planets) with the number four (the Elements).

[mesetacadre]

Reality itself forces you to think dialectically. The contradictions and the change that motivates dialectics are not invented by very smart dialectical thinkers, they're simultaneously the motor and its fuel of the evolution of reality, of the context. There always comes a point, sooner or later, when the sharpening of x contradiction balloons to the point its size is unignorable, and when you aim to analyze and extract a course of action from it, regardless of your awareness of dialectics the philosophical framework, dialectics the functioning of reality conditions and guides that reasoning. Considering something as simple as a problem that surges when you do x action and a possible solution, is engaging with the contradictions of practice and the theory that informed it.

The advantage, therefore, that a explicit dialectical method provides an organization, is the ability to anticipate its analyses to the point when a contradiction is unignorable. Dialectics is always evolving, even outside those moments where it all comes to a point that forces your hand, it's simply more inconspicuous. An organization that is able to interface with those inconspicuous contradictions and continuously extract synthesis (plural) will very naturally anticipate issues before they fully metastasize, and going even further, will be able to apply the synthesis drawn from one context to the contradictions in another. Dialectics don't have a premonitionary quality, I'm not saying that. But a dialectical method applied to one's own practice and theory (therefore synthesizing a praxis) will be able to identify root problems and key advantages by pulling the causal thread of the seemingly mundane apparition of smaller issues and their smaller solutions without needing to wait for those failures and triumphs to emerge in full apparent view.

[feminist-space]

Excerpts:

"The convenience of instant answers that LLMs provide can encourage passive consumption of information, which may lead to superficial engagement, weakened critical thinking skills, less deep understanding of the materials, and less long-term memory formation [8]. The reduced level of cognitive engagement could also contribute to a decrease in decision-making skills and in turn, foster habits of procrastination and "laziness" in both students and educators [13].

Additionally, due to the instant availability of the response to almost any question, LLMs can possibly make a learning process feel effortless, and prevent users from attempting any independent problem solving. By simplifying the process of obtaining answers, LLMs could decrease student motivation to perform independent research and generate solutions [15]. Lack of mental stimulation could lead to a decrease in cognitive development and negatively impact memory [15]. The use of LLMs can lead to fewer opportunities for direct human-to-human interaction or social learning, which plays a pivotal role in learning and memory formation [16].

Collaborative learning as well as discussions with other peers, colleagues, teachers are critical for the comprehension and retention of learning materials. With the use of LLMs for learning also come privacy and security issues, as well as plagiarism concerns (7]. Yang et al. [17] conducted a study with high school students in a programming course. The experimental group used ChatGPT to assist with learning programming, while the control group was only exposed to traditional teaching methods. The results showed that the experimental group had lower flow experience, self-efficacy, and learning performance compared to the control group.

Academic self-efficacy, a student's belief in their "ability to effectively plan, organize, and execute academic tasks"

', also contributes to how LLMs are used for learning [18]. Students with

low self-efficacy are more inclined to rely on Al, especially when influenced by academic stress

[18]. This leads students to prioritize immediate Al solutions over the development of cognitive and creative skills. Similarly, students with lower confidence in their writing skills, lower

"self-efficacy for writing" (SEWS), tended to use ChatGPT more extensively, while higher-efficacy students were more selective in Al reliance [19]. We refer the reader to the meta-analysis [20] on the effect of ChatGPT on students' learning performance, learning perception, and higher-order thinking."

"Recent empirical studies reveal concerning patterns in how LLM-powered conversational search systems exacerbate selective exposure compared to conventional search methods. Participants engaged in more biased information querying with LLM-powered conversational search, and an opinionated LLM reinforcing their views exacerbated this bias [63]. This occurs because LLMS are in essence "next token predictors" that optimize for most probable outputs, and thus can potentially be more inclined to provide consonant information than traditional information system algorithms [63]. The conversational nature of LLM interactions compounds this effect, as users can engage in multi-turn conversations that progressively narrow their information exposure. In LLM systems, the synthesis of information from multiple sources may appear to provide diverse perspectives but can actually reinforce existing biases through algorithmic selection and presentation mechanisms.

The implications for educational environments are particularly significant, as echo chambers can fundamentally compromise the development of critical thinking skills that form the foundation of quality academic discourse. When students rely on search systems or language models that systematically filter information to align with their existing viewpoints, they might miss opportunities to engage with challenging perspectives that would strengthen their analytical capabilities and broaden their intellectual horizons. Furthermore, the sophisticated nature of these algorithmic biases means that a lot of users often remain unaware of the information gaps in their research, leading to overconfident conclusions based on incomplete evidence. This creates a cascade effect where poorly informed arguments become normalized in academic and other settings, ultimately degrading the standards of scholarly debate and undermining the educational mission of fostering independent, evidence-based reasoning."

"In summary, the Brain-only group's connectivity suggests a state of increased internal coordination, engaging memory and creative thinking (manifested as theta and delta coherence across cortical regions). The Engine group, while still cognitively active, showed a tendency toward more focal connectivity associated with handling external information (e.g. beta band links to visual-parietal areas) and comparatively less activation of the brain's long-range memory circuits. These findings are in line with literature: tasks requiring internal memory amplify low-frequency brain synchrony in frontoparietal networks [77], whereas outsourcing information (via internet search) can reduce the load on these networks and alter attentional dynamics. Notably, prior studies have found that practicing internet search can reduce activation in memory-related brain areas [831, which dovetails with our observation of weaker connectivity in those regions for Search Engine group. Conversely, the richer connectivity of Brain-only group may reflect a cognitive state akin to that of high performers in creative or memory tasks, for instance, high creativity has been associated with increased fronto-occipital theta connectivity and intra-hemispheric synchronization in frontal-temporal circuits [81], patterns we see echoed in the Brain-only condition."

"This correlation between neural connectivity and behavioral quoting failure in LLM group's participants offers evidence that:

1. Early Al reliance may result in shallow encoding.

LLM group's poor recall and incorrect quoting is a possible indicator that their earlier essays were not internally integrated, likely due to outsourced cognitive processing to the LLM.

2. Withholding LLM tools during early stages might support memory formation.

Brain-only group's stronger behavioral recall, supported by more robust EEG connectivity, suggests that initial unaided effort promoted durable memory traces, enabling more effective reactivation even when LLM tools were introduced later.

Metacognitive engagement is higher in the Brain-to-LLM group.

Brain-only group might have mentally compared their past unaided efforts with tool-generated suggestions (as supported by their comments during the interviews), engaging in self-reflection and elaborative rehearsal, a process linked to executive control and semantic integration, as seen in their EEG profile.

The significant gap in quoting accuracy between reassigned LLM and Brain-only groups was not merely a behavioral artifact; it is mirrored in the structure and strength of their neural connectivity. The LLM-to-Brain group's early dependence on LLM tools appeared to have impaired long-term semantic retention and contextual memory, limiting their ability to reconstruct content without assistance. In contrast, Brain-to-LLM participants could leverage tools more strategically, resulting in stronger performance and more cohesive neural signatures."

[tanadrin]

I think they should extend that American thing where in order to get your undergrad degree you have to take general ed requirements even further to postgraduate degrees. Make people getting a masters in physics also submit a thesis on Jane Austen. Make people getting a PhD in Chaucer also publish articles on topology. Make ppl getting their PhD in 16th century Flemish history also write about novel fullerene synthesis methods.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet

A summary of Blake Snyder's Plot Method

ACT ONE (Thesis)

1. Opening Image (1) - set tone, mood & style; give “before” snapshot of hero

2. Theme Stated (5)- declaration of theme, argument or story purpose (by minor to main character)

3. Set-up (1-10) - introduce hero’s quirks; how & why they need to change

4. Catalyst (12) - bad news that knocks down set-up, but ultimately leads the hero to happiness

5. Debate (12-25) - hero questions their ability to proceed

ACT TWO (Antithesis)

6. Break into Two (25) - hero (through their own decision) moves into the antithetical world

7. B Story (30) - break from main story; often a “love” story; meet new characters antithetical to earlier ones

8. Fun and Games (30-55) - provides the promise of the premise; movie trailer moments; whatever’s cool

9. Midpoint (55) - fun and games over; hero reaches false peak or false collapse; changes dynamic; raises stakes

10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75) - bad guys regroup; internal dissent in hero’s team; hero isolated and headed for fall

11. All Is Lost (75) - false defeat (that feels real); “whiff of death” (often of mentor); end of old way

12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85) - darkness before the dawn; hero feels they’re beaten and forsaken

13. Break into Three (85) - internal B story provides solution to A story

ACT THREE (Synthesis)

14. Finale (85-110) - triumph for hero; bad guys dispatched (in ascending order); hero changes world

15. Final Image (110) - opposite of opening image; proof of real change

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding 10 Story Genres (& their Elements) ⚜ The Transformation Test

[diaphonizeddoll]

LIMBUS SINNER TAROT ANALYSIS

III. Don Quixote– The Empress

"The Daughter of the Mighty Ones."

That is the "ESOTERIC TITLE" of The Empress according to Wang's Qabalistic Tarot. Every Major Arcana has one, and there is also the "DOUBLE-LETTER", a duality of two concepts. The empress--and Don Quixote by extension--is "Wisdom-Folly."

Don quixote is highly peculiar... She is a woman of dualities. This is by design, as we're introduced to two different states of being-- a human and a Bloodfiend.

For these wondering, Yi-Sang's DOUBLE-LETTER was "Life-Death", and Faust's was "Peace-War." Faust's I think foreshadows a conflict of the Fausts, across mirror worlds. Peace and War both being statuses of a relationship between world entities. A mental "Disunion" of Faust's component minds.

Don Quixote's character juxtaposes wisdom and folly. She shows in both separate states and the synthesis of them, a wisdom in how she views life. She encourages the sinners with ideals of chivalry and justice.

"A true adventure is not without its hardships... Yet... even the most exalted of heroes cannot venture without respite", says amnesiac Don.

Don's speech is genuinely insightful even as it seems foolish.

"The Fourteenth Path [The Empress] is the Illuminating Intelligence, and is so called because it is that Brilliant One which is the founder of the concealed and fundamental ideas of holiness and of their stages of preperation"

Says Wang.

Rider-Waite and the Inversion Tarot offer other themes with interesting connections to Donqui's character; "initiative" and "action", "doubt" and "ignorance", followed by "the unraveling of involved matters". (dis)Connection to "nature" and "(in)fertility".

So, I see that a lot of the themes of The Empress match Don to varying degrees. She is among the most action-oriented sinners, to the end of her overzealousness leading the group into several snafus (the border incident, the christmas incident) before her awakening. I also see her method of helping Sinclair when he was clairing out as a good example of this.

Doubt and ignorance fit properly the duality of wisdom and folly in Don's character. Remarks of fertility and nature, as well as the card's underline of matriarchy, relate to Don's life both as Sancho and as a sinner.

As Sancho, Don gives in to her Bloodfiend nature yet declines to sire any laManchlings. Blood is interwoven with fertility as a theme, I will mention too.

Suppressing her Bloodfiend nature via Rocinante, LCB Don perhaps fills a "group mom" role at times, through pep talks, calling everyone else young, being close to sinclair.

THAANK YOUUU FOR READINGGGG!

Hi! This is the post script. I had this like half way written a month ago and then got distracted. The past month (months?) have blurred together in my mind.theres been a lot of time spent going back and forth with the voices in my head (faust kin). I didn't really have the energy to write a conclusion also. here's hoping I get around to ryoshu soon! I've got my tarot pdfs open at least.