Язык духов: параллели между рифмованной прозой (саджʻ) доисламских арабских прорицателей и речевым поведением шаманов

The speech behavior of soothsayers (kuhhān), who lived in pre-Islamic Arabia, was characterized by the use of rhymed and rhythmic prose, the formulaic structure of utterances and their enigmatic nature. Furthermore, their speech was ecstatically performed and featured a specific language that was different from the generally accepted mode of everyday communication. As a consequence, their utterances were perceived by their audiences as emanating from supernatural beings. The article draws a parallel between the speech peculiarities of the kuhhān and texts that serve for ‘communication’ with spirits in shamanic/shamanistic cultures. From a functional point of view, in both cases the texts exhibit a number of distinctive properties that mark sacred pronouncements dictated by otherworldly forces. There are also similarities in the contexts and circumstances of text production of soothsayers and shamans. The conclusions of the article can serve as another argument in favor of a typological affinity between these two groups of religious specialists. This affinity has previously been examined mainly through the prism of their social functions and non-verbal behavior. This article, on the other hand, emphasizes the linguistic characteristics of this affinity

РАСЧЕТ МАГНИТНОГО ПОЛЯ ТРЕХФАЗНЫХ КАБЕЛЬНЫХ ЛИНИЙ ПРИ ДВУСТОРОННЕМ ЗАМЫКАНИИ СОБСТВЕННЫХ ЭКРАНОВ КАБЕЛЕЙ, ОХВАЧЕННЫХ ФЕРРОМАГНИТНЫМИ СЕРДЕЧНИКАМИ

In this paper we obtain compact expressions for the magnetic field shielding factor of a high-voltage three-phase cable line consisting of single-core cables with two-point bonded cable shields and ferromagnetic cores installed. To obtain these expressions we develop the analytical model of the cable line. Following assumptions are made to develop the model: the current distribution in each cable shield is uniform, cylindrical ferromagnetic cores covering the cables are not magnetized to saturation and their magnetic permeability is constant, each of the ferromagnetic cores is magnetized only by the core current and the shield current of the cable that it covers, the magnetic field inside ferromagnetic cores is axisymmetric, the magnetic field is plane-parallel over the entire cable line. We consider common cases of flat and trefoil cable lines. The proposed expressions for the magnetic field shielding factor are verified experimentally. The physical model is made of three cables of the type NA2XSF(L)2Y-110 1´240/70. It is shown that the difference between numerical simulation results and experimental data lays within 15 %.Получены компактные соотношения для расчета эффективности экранирования магнитного поля высоковольтной трехфазной кабельной линии, состоящей из одножильных кабелей, которые охвачены ферромагнитными сердечниками, при двустороннем замыкании собственных экранов. Рассмотрены кабельные линии с укладкой кабелей треугольником и в плоскости. Предложенные соотношения для расчета эффективности экранирования магнитного поля верифицированы экспериментально

Structure and function of an RNase H domain at the heart of the spliceosome.

Precursor-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing encompasses two sequential transesterification reactions in distinct active sites of the spliceosome that are transiently established by the interplay of small nuclear (sn) RNAs and spliceosomal proteins. Protein Prp8 is an active site component but the molecular mechanisms, by which it might facilitate splicing catalysis, are unknown. We have determined crystal structures of corresponding portions of yeast and human Prp8 that interact with functional regions of the pre-mRNA, revealing a phylogenetically conserved RNase H fold, augmented by Prp8-specific elements. Comparisons to RNase H–substrate complexes suggested how an RNA encompassing a 5′-splice site (SS) could bind relative to Prp8 residues, which on mutation, suppress splice defects in pre-mRNAs and snRNAs. A truncated RNase H-like active centre lies next to a known contact region of the 5′SS and directed mutagenesis confirmed that this centre is a functional hotspot. These data suggest that Prp8 employs an RNase H domain to help assemble and stabilize the spliceosomal catalytic core, coordinate the activities of other splicing factors and possibly participate in chemical catalysis of splicing

Electromagnetic wave refraction at an interface of a double wire medium

Plane-wave reflection and refraction at an interface with a double wire medium is considered. The problem of additional boundary conditions (ABC) in application to wire media is discussed and an ABC-free approach, known in the solid state physics, is used. Expressions for the fields and Poynting vectors of the refracted waves are derived. Directions and values of the power density flow of the refracted waves are found and the conservation of the power flow through the interface is checked. The difference between the results, given by the conventional model of wire media and the model, properly taking into account spatial dispersion, is discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figure

Fast interaction between AMPA and NMDA receptors by intracellular calcium

© 2016 Elsevier LtdSuppression of NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated currents by intracellular Ca2+ has been described as a negative feedback loop in NMDAR modulation. In the time scale of tenths of milliseconds the depth of the suppression does not depend on the Ca2+ source. It may be caused by Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated calcium channels, NMDAR channels or release from intracellular stores. However, NMDARs are often co-expressed in synapses with Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors (AMPARs). Due to significant differences in activation kinetics between these two types of glutamate receptors (GluRs), Ca2+ entry through AMPARs precedes full activation of NMDARs, and therefore, might have an impact on the amplitude of NMDAR-mediated currents. The study of Ca2+-mediated crosstalk between AMPAR and NMDAR in native synapses is challenging due to high NMDAR Ca2+ permeability. Therefore, recombinant Ca2+-permeable AMPAR and Ca2+-impermeable NMDAR mutant channels were co-expressed in HEK 293 cells to examine their interaction. An AMPAR-mediated increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) reversibly reduced the size of NMDAR-mediated whole-cell currents. The time course of the NMDAR channel inactivation and recovery from inactivation followed the time course of the [Ca2+]i transient. When brief (1 ms) pulses of glutamate were applied to outside-out patches, the degree of NMDAR inactivation increased with the increase in charge carried by the currents through co-activated AMPARs. However, AMPAR-mediated NMDAR inactivation was abolished in the presence of intracellular fast Ca2+ buffer BAPTA or in Ca2+-free extracellular solution. We conclude that Ca2+ entering through AMPARs inactivates co-localized NMDARs in the time range of excitatory postsynaptic currents

Choosing of optimal start approximation for laplace equation numerically solving

In the last few years, repeatedly increased the role of simulation systems for solution of physical problems, particularly in the microwave and electronics. This article focuses on the promising methods for setting an initial approximation for the numerical solution of the Laplace equation. We investigate Dirichlet problem for a case of two-dimensional area with lime border, numerical scheme for solving this equation is widely knowns it finite difference method. One of the major stages in the algorithm for that numerical solution is choosing of start approximation, usually as the initial values of the unknown function are assumed to be zero, which may serve as a lead to a large number of iterations in finding the numerical solution. It is shown that there is a way to set a start approximation, which can significantly reduce the number of iterations in the solution of the Laplace equation.Keywords: Laplace equation; approximation; net; Dirichlet problem; finite differencemethod

Mechanisms of long-term plasticity of hippocampal GABAergic synapses

© 2017, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Long-term potentiation and depression of synaptic transmission have been considered as cellular mechanisms of memory in studies conducted in recent decades. These studies were predominantly focused on mechanisms underlying plasticity at excitatory synapses. Nevertheless, normal central nervous system functioning requires maintenance of a balance between inhibition and excitation, suggesting existence of similar modulation of glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Here we review the involvement of G-protein-coupled receptors in the generation of long-term changes in synaptic transmission of inhibitory synapses. We considered the role of endocannabinoid and glutamate systems, GABAB and opioid receptors in the induction of long-term potentiation and long-term depression in inhibitory synapses. The preand postsynaptic effects of activation of these receptors are also discussed

College of Arts and Sciences at Governors State University Announces Winter 2008 Dean’s List

The College of Arts and Sciences at Governors State University recently recognized undergraduate students who earned a 3.7 grade point average or higher during the Winter 2008 trimester

СОПОСТАВИТЕЛЬНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ ДОИСЛАМСКИХ ПРЕДСТАВЛЕНИЙ О ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИИ СО СВЕРХЪЕСТЕСТВЕННЫМ МИРОМ НА МАТЕРИАЛЕ ХАДИСОВ

The article describes a number of the Prophet Muhammad’s notions about the circumstances of interaction with supernatural beings reconstructed on the basis of the Hadith material. These notions are refl ected in such actions of the Prophet as wrapping up during the sending down of revelations, wearing clothes inside out during the performance of the ritual, refusal of certain types of food, etc. Such practices largely refl ect the ancient Arabian ideas about the behavior of a person being in contact with the transcendent. They can also be compared with similar rituals related to other cultures.В статье описывается ряд реконструированных на основе хадисов представлений пророка Мухаммада об обстоятельствах взаимодействия со сверхъестественными существами. Эти представления обнаруживают себя в таких действиях Пророка, как закутывание во время ниспослания откровений, ношение одежды наизнанку во время исполнения ритуала, отказ от определенных видов пищи и др. Такого рода практики в значительной степени отражают древнеаравийские воззрения на поведение человека, контактирующего с потусторонними силами. Они также могут быть сопоставлены с аналогичными ритуалами, относящимися к другим культурам.

ТОРГОВАЯ ТЕРМИНОЛОГИЯ В СИСТЕМЕ КОНЦЕПТУАЛЬНЫХ МЕТАФОР КОРАНА

Quranic metaphors describing theological ideas in commercial terms are an important source of knowledge about social and economic conditions and values existing in the Arabian society at the time of the Quran’s revelation to the prophet Muhammad. A comparison of the frequency of the metaphors’ appearance in the Mec-can and the Medinan suras shows equal importance of commerce for the populations of both Mecca and Medina (Yathrib). The concrete use of certain metaphors and images in the Meccan and the Medinan suras depends on the content of the verses, their audiences and the specifi c circumstances of the Revelation.Метафоры в Коране, описывающие богословские идеи с помощью торговых терминов, являются важным источником сведений о социально-экономических отношениях и ценностях общества, в котором произошло ниспослание Корана. Сравнение частотности их употребления в мекканских и мединских сурах свидетельствует о равной важности торговли для жителей как Мекки, так и Медины. При этом преимущественное употребление конкретных метафор и образов в мединских и мекканских сурах зависит в первую очередь от содержания соответствующих айатов, их адресатов и конкретных обстоятельств их ниспослания