The article discusses the theoretical and methodological considerations as well as the partical application of two incarnations of the rhetorical turn in socio-cultural anthropology. Rhetorical turn is understood as a linguistic and constructivist turn, which marks a substantial part of contemporary thinking in the social sciences and humanities.
This article outlines the right of asylum as a judicial institute in the early modern period, when modern states have been forming. Special attention is given to the dynamic struggle between the church asylum, as well as the church judicial system in general, and the state’s secular power.Specific attributes of the right of asylum and its evolution in time are studied from different viewpoints; understanding of the term and its content, legal continuity of the right of asylum,conditions, under which asylum was granted and the different forms of asylum. General observations and supported by specific historical examples and references.
It is argued in the article that the peaceful transition to capitalism in communist countries was not possible without the co-action of the nomenklatura, whose interest was to transform their informal access to state-owned capital into an authentic 'grand entrepreneurship'. The necessary acquisition of physical cap ital was achieved by means of mass privatisation schemes in which the nomenklatura took advantage of their social capital and information asymmetries. In the Czech case, there were three social groups competing for a position among the new entrepreneurial elite. The initially large gains of the nomenklatura gradually eroded when new businesses opened to domestic and international competition, where competitiveness depended on endowments of human (entrepreneurial) and economic capital. In the subsequent wave of ownership restructuring, initiated after 1994, the former nomenklatura was partially squeezed out of the tradable sector, which was occupied by better skilled foreign and domestic entrepreneurs. The exiting entrepreneurs converted their holdings into consumer goods, or defected to sectors less open to competition, where the alignment of social capital and bureaucracy persisted. Their position depends now on the pending reforms of public administration and the search for a more efficient social model.
Salinization is an increasing enviromental problem in ecosystems. The assessment of total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), alkalinity and the concentrations of main ions makes possible to identify salinization and alkalization degree. The saltaffected soils occur in the south part and south-east part of Žitný ostrov, where the dry and mild summer climate, evaporation soil water regime and mineralized groundwater create conditions for development of the saline and alkaline soils. Five localities with highly-mineralized groundwater were monitored to evaluate salinity and alkality in the period 1989-2006. At the bottom horizons in localities 1 - 5 evaporative residues (salt content) reached value 0.1 - 0.2 %. In 2006 dry evaporative residues (salt content) was higher than 0.2 %, EC was higher than 250 mS m-1 at the bottom horizons in localities 1, 2, 4. The mentioned data allow us to state that salinization and alkalization of soils is developing, it starts from the bottom of soil horizons through middle part of the soil profile up to the top horizons. This phenomenon was observed in all investigated soils in different stages of development. and Salinizácia v ekosystémoch je stále významnejší enviromentálny problém. Stanovenie celkového množstva rozpustených látok (TDS), elektrickej vodivosti (EC), sodíkového adsorpčného pomeru (SAR) a obsahu výmenného sodíka (ESP) umožňuje identifikáciu kritického potenciálu salinizácie a degradácie pôdy. Záujmové územie bolo vymedzené vo východnej časti Žitného ostrova, kde suché a horúce klimatické podmienky spolu s vysokomineralizovanými podzemnými vodami sú príčinou translokácie solí do pôdneho profilu. Bolo monitorovaných 5 lokalít v období 1989 - 2006. Namerané údaje poukazujú na vzrastajúci obsah solí, ktorý v r. 2006 dosiahol 0,1 - 0,2 % v celom pôdnom profile vo všetkých monitorovaných lokalitách, hodnoty EC 200 - 400 mS m-1 v spodných horizontoch vytvárajú podmienky pre rozvoj zasolených pôd.
Numerous hypotheses have been proposed about the pathogenesis of the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). However, hormonal control of persistent follicles has not be enestablished. The objective of the present study was to compare the follicular structure and hormonal profiles of rats treated with the adrenocor ticotrophic hormone (ACTH) with two experimental models of PCOS. ACTH-treated animals were compared with those exposed to continuous light, those treated with estradiol valerate, and with control (in proestrous and diestrous). Serum hormone levels, histomorphometrical changes, and immunoexpression of vimentin, cytokeratins, cadherins, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were examined. Treatment with ACTH resulted in an elevation of corticosterone secretion with LH reduction but without changes in ovarian morphology. Although stress (or ACTH) stimulation may be only one of pathophysiological mechanisms involved in follicular cystathogenesis in other species, we do not have important evidence to suppose that this would happen in rats., C. Bavaralle, N. R. Salvetti, G. A. Mira, J. A. Lorente, H. H. Ortega., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Certain liver metabolic diseases point to the presence of disturbances in glycogen deposition. Epinephrine raises the cAMP level that activates protein kinase A leading to the activation of phosphorylase and glycogen breakdown. In the present report, we sought to investigate whether NO is produced during adrenoceptor agonist-induced glycogenolysis in rat hepatocytes in cultures. Isolated glycogen rich rat hepatocytes in cultures were used. NO production (NO2-) was assessed under the effect of adrenergic agonists and adrenergic agonist/antagonist pairs, dibutyryl cyclic AMP sodium-potassium salt (db-cAMP), NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), aminoguanidine (AG) and the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetyl penicillamine (SNAP) . The inducible NO synthase (iNOS) mRNA was examined by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Glycogenolysis was quantified by glucose levels released into medium. The amount of glucose and NO2- released by hepatocytes was increased as a result of epinephrine, phenylephrine or db-cAMP treatments. The increase in glucose and NO2- released by epinephrine or phenylephrine was blocked or reduced by prazosin pretreatment and by NOS inhibitors aminoguanidine and L-NAME. iNOS gene expression was up-regulated by epinephrine. It can be concluded that glycogenolysis occurs through α adrenoceptor stimulation and a signaling cascade may involve NO production., J. Hodis, N. Kutinová-Canová, P. Potměšil, L. Kameníková, E. Kmoníčková, Z. Zídek, H. Farghali., and Obsahuje biblografii a bibliografické odkazy
Photosystem 2 (PS 2) reaction centre can be considered as a water-plastoqninone oxido-reductase. Using four photons it transfers four electrons from two molecules of water to plastoquinone (PQ), producing the molecular oxygen and two molecules of double reduced PQ. PS 2 is the site of the antagonistic action of bicarbonate and formáte on PS 2 electron flow; incubation of isolated chloroplasts with formáte results in full inhibition of electron flow actívity, which can be restored by addition of bicarbonate. This bicarbonate effect is located at the Dl protein and affects the electron flow between the primary quinone and the PQ pool. Bicarbonate is probably involved in stabilizatíon of tíie semireduced secondary quinone Qb, and in the protonation reactions at this site. Under physiological conditions bicarbonate is boimd to thylakoid membranes. Addition of formáte to thylakoids appears to release CO2. The bicarbonate effect is not only observed in isolated chloroplasts, but also in intact organisms as green algae and leaves. Bicarbonate Controls PS 2 electron flow in order to cope with stress conditions leading to, for instance, photoinhibition or to the high rates of photorespiration.
Although playing an important role in shaping the environment, the mechanisms responsible for runoff initiation and yield in arid and semiarid regions are not yet fully explored. With infiltration-excess overland flow, known also as Hortonian overland flow (HOF) taking place in these areas, the uppermost surface 'skin' plays a cardinal role in runoff initiation and yield. Over large areas, this skin is composed of biocrusts, a variety of autotrophs (principally cyanobacteria, green algae, lichens, mosses) accompanied by heterotrophs (such as fungi, bacteria, archaea), which may largely dictate the infiltration capability of the surface. With most biocrust organisms being capable of excreting extracellular polymeric substances (EPS or exopolymers), and growing evidence pointing to the capability of certain EPS to partially seal the surface, EPS may play a cardinal role in hindering infiltration and triggering HOF. Yet, despite this logic thread, great controversy still exists regarding the main mechanisms responsible for runoff generation (runoff initiation and yield). Elucidation of the possible role played by EPS in runoff generation is the focus of the current review.
Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) was induced in mice by intranasal inoculation of Naegleria fowleri (Singh et Das, 1970) to study the role of the blood vessels and lungs in the early and later stages in this disease. Upon culturing blood and lung tissue obtained at 24-, 36-, 48-, 72-, 96-, and 120-hour time periods, it was found that amoebae grew only from blood and lung tissue obtained at the 96 and 120 hour time periods. Paraffin sections of the head revealed small foci of acute inflammation and amoebae within the olfactory bulb of the central nervous system (CNS) at 24 hours. Amoebae were not observed within blood vessels of the CNS until 96 and 120 hours. Also, amoebae were observed within the connective tissue surrounding blood vessels and sutures of the skull, bone marrow, and venous sinusoids between the skull bone tables at 96 and 120 hours. No amoebae or acute inflammatory reactions were observed in the lung sections from any time period and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy was negative for N. fowleri. This study provides evidence that neither blood vessels nor lungs provide routes for N. fowleri to the CNS during the early stages of PAM and that amoebae enter veins of the CNS and bone marrow during later stages of the disease.
Carbon dioxide interacts both with reactive nitrogen species and reactive oxygen species. In the presence of superoxide, NO reacts to form peroxynitrite that reacts with CO2 to give nitrosoperoxycarbonate. This compound rearranges to nitrocarbonate which is prone to further reactions. In an aqueous environment, the most probable reaction is hydrolysis producing carbonate and nitrate. Thus the net effect of CO2 is scavenging of peroxynitrite and prevention of nitration and oxidative damage. However, in a nonpolar environment of membranes, nitrocarbonate undergoes other reactions leading to nitration of proteins and oxidative damage. When NO reacts with oxygen in the absence of superoxide, a nitrating species N2O3 is formed. CO2 interacts with N2O3 to produce a nitrosyl compound that, under physiological pH, is hydrolyzed to nitrous and carbonic acid. In this way, CO2 also prevents nitration reactions. CO2 protects superoxide dismutase against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide. However, in this reaction carbonate radicals are formed which can propagate the oxidative damage. It was found that hypercapnia in vivo protects against the damaging effects of ischemia or hypoxia. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the protective role of CO2 in vivo. The most significant appears to be stabilization of the iron-transferrin complex which prevents the involvement of iron ions in the initiation of free radical reactions., A. Veselá, J. Wilhelm., and Obsahuje bibliografii