The cultural hermeneutic of Russia's historical experience: the case of Aleksandr Samojlovič Akhiezer

The article presents an overview of A. S. Akhiezer's reconstruction of Russia's socio-cultural history as a cultural hermeneutic. The underlying idea is that the way humans make sense of their existence is driven by an algorithm of meaning production informing the organization of their ‘world', in particular the selection of the means involved in that production. Thus the central axis of Akhiezer's hermeneutic, methodogically, is symbolization: ‘worlds', that is, socio-cultural matrices, are made according to and reflect specific modes of symbolization. Akhiezer's account of the Russian socio-cultural experience is centred on the particular algorithm that he names raskol (schism). His purpose was twofold: to examine the ‘logic' of raskol, on the one hand, and to investigate, on the other hand, in the manner of a historian, its impact and consequences for Russian society at large, including its effects on institution-building. In this way, the study of raskol goes hand in hand with an investigation of and commentary concerning the uncertain state in Russia of what Akhiezer named the bol'šoe obščestvo (roughly, the modern differentiated, dynamic institutional order). In effect, his theory is a social ontology with culture at the centr

Space electric power systems study- d-c to d-c converters for nuclear-thermionic energy sources

Direct current converters used in space electric power system for nuclear-electric power suppl

Load programmer, static switches, and annunciator for inverters and converters

Load programmer, switches, and annunciator for static inverters and converters operating in paralle

Structural and functional-annotation of an equine whole genome oligoarray

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The horse genome is sequenced, allowing equine researchers to use high-throughput functional genomics platforms such as microarrays; next-generation sequencing for gene expression and proteomics. However, for researchers to derive value from these functional genomics datasets, they must be able to model this data in biologically relevant ways; to do so requires that the equine genome be more fully annotated. There are two interrelated types of genomic annotation: structural and functional. Structural annotation is delineating and demarcating the genomic elements (such as genes, promoters, and regulatory elements). Functional annotation is assigning function to structural elements. The Gene Ontology (GO) is the <it>de facto </it>standard for functional annotation, and is routinely used as a basis for modelling and hypothesis testing, large functional genomics datasets.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An Equine Whole Genome Oligonucleotide (EWGO) array with 21,351 elements was developed at Texas A&M University. This 70-mer oligoarray was designed using the approximately 7× assembled and annotated sequence of the equine genome to be one of the most comprehensive arrays available for expressed equine sequences. To assist researchers in determining the biological meaning of data derived from this array, we have structurally annotated it by mapping the elements to multiple database accessions, including UniProtKB, Entrez Gene, NRPD (Non-Redundant Protein Database) and UniGene. We next provided GO functional annotations for the gene transcripts represented on this array. Overall, we GO annotated 14,531 gene products (68.1% of the gene products represented on the EWGO array) with 57,912 annotations. GAQ (GO Annotation Quality) scores were calculated for this array both before and after we added GO annotation. The additional annotations improved the <it>meanGAQ </it>score 16-fold. This data is publicly available at <it>AgBase </it><url>http://www.agbase.msstate.edu/</url>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Providing additional information about the public databases which link to the gene products represented on the array allows users more flexibility when using gene expression modelling and hypothesis-testing computational tools. Moreover, since different databases provide different types of information, users have access to multiple data sources. In addition, our GO annotation underpins functional modelling for most gene expression analysis tools and enables equine researchers to model large lists of differentially expressed transcripts in biologically relevant ways.</p

Ultrastructural evidence for completion of the entire miracidial maturation in intrauterine eggs of the digenean Brandesia turgida (Brandes, 1888) (Plagiorchiida: Pleurogenidae)

Results of this TEM study provide ultrastructural evidence that miracidial morphogenesis is fully completed within the intrauterine eggs situated in the most posterior uterine regions of the pleurogenid trematode Brandesia turgida (Brandes, 1888). The ultrastructural characteristic of different larval organelles and cell types of these eggshell-enclosed, but fully formed, cilated miracidia is described. The body wall of the pyriform mature miracidium of B. turgida is composed of ciliated epidermis and underlying peripheral body musculature. Two miracidial flame cells of the protonephridial excretory system are localized in the central region of the ciliated larvae. Three types of miracidial glands were observed: a single apical gland, two lateral glands, and several small vesiculated glands; each gland type contains characteristic, but different types of secretory granules. The anterior end of each miracidium consists of an apical papilla on which are situated the exits of the three main larval glands: an exit of a single apical gland as well as the individual exits of two lateral glands. The exits of vesiculated glands, containing characteristic spherical membrane-bound and highly electron-dense granules, evidently different from the two other types of secretory granules of apical and lateral glands, were not identified. Germinative cells, grouped together in a sac-like germinative follicle, are situated in the medioposterior part of the larva, the germatophore. The germinative cells contain numerous electron-dense heterochromatin islands arranged in the form of a network or chain-like pattern and distributed mainly in the karyoplasm adjacent to the nuclear membrane. The thin layer of granular cytoplasm is rich in free ribosomes and contains a few small mitochondria. Both nuclear and cytoplasmic features if these cells indicate their great developmental potential for further growth and multiplication in postembryonic stages of the life cycle. In the mature eggs, the areas of focal cytoplasmic degradation were frequently observed and may be involved in the autolysis of some embryonic structures. Obtained results are compared with available literature data on the functional ultrastructure of the miracidia of other digeneans

Heading for brighter and faster β-Ga2O3 scintillator crystals

Czochralski-grown β-Ga2O3 and β-Ga2O3:Si crystals with the free electron concentrations between 2.5·1016 and 4.3·1018 cm−3 have been characterized by means of pulse height and scintillation time profile measurements in order to assess their basic scintillation properties. At room temperature, with increasing free electron concentration in the studied range, the scintillation yields decrease from 8920 to 1930 ph/MeV, while the mean scintillation decay times pare down from 989 to 61 ns. However, when the brightest β-Ga2O3 sample is cooled down below 100 K, its scintillation yield exceeds 20000 ph/MeV

Ageing prolongs inflammatory marker expression in regenerating rat skeletal muscles after injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Some of the most serious consequences of normal ageing relate to its effects on skeletal muscle, particularly significant wasting and associated weakness, termed "sarcopenia". The underlying mechanisms of sarcopenia have yet to be elucidated completely but an altered muscle inflammatory response after injury is a likely contributing factor. In this study we investigated age-related changes in the expression of numerous inflammatory markers linked to successful muscle regeneration.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Right extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles from young (3 month), adult (12 month) and old (24 month) male F344 rats were injected with bupivacaine hydrochloride to cause complete muscle fibre degeneration, then excised 12, 24, 36, and 72 hours later (n = 5/age group/time point). We used qRT-PCR to quantify the mRNA expression levels of the inflammatory markers TNFα, IFNγ, IL1, IL18, IL6, and CD18 as well as regenerative markers MyoD and myogenin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Inflammatory markers were all increased significantly in all age groups after myotoxic injury. There was a trend for expression of inflammatory markers to be higher in uninjured muscles of old rats, especially at 72 hours post injury where the expression levels of several markers was significantly higher in old compared with young and adult rats. There was also a decrease in the expression of regenerative markers in old rats at 72 hours post injury.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings identify a prolonged inflammatory signature in injured muscles from old compared with young and adult rats together with a blunted expression of key markers of regeneration in muscles of old rats. Importantly, our findings identify potential targets for future therapeutic strategies for improving the regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle during ageing.</p

Phenotypic and molecular assessment of seven patients with 6p25 deletion syndrome: Relevance to ocular dysgenesis and hearing impairment

BACKGROUND: Thirty-nine patients have been described with deletions involving chromosome 6p25. However, relatively few of these deletions have had molecular characterization. Common phenotypes of 6p25 deletion syndrome patients include hydrocephalus, hearing loss, and ocular, craniofacial, skeletal, cardiac, and renal malformations. Molecular characterization of deletions can identify genes that are responsible for these phenotypes. METHODS: We report the clinical phenotype of seven patients with terminal deletions of chromosome 6p25 and compare them to previously reported patients. Molecular characterization of the deletions was performed using polymorphic marker analysis to determine the extents of the deletions in these seven 6p25 deletion syndrome patients. RESULTS: Our results, and previous data, show that ocular dysgenesis and hearing impairment are the two most highly penetrant phenotypes of the 6p25 deletion syndrome. While deletion of the forkhead box C1 gene (FOXC1) probably underlies the ocular dysgenesis, no gene in this region is known to be involved in hearing impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular dysgenesis and hearing impairment are the two most common phenotypes of 6p25 deletion syndrome. We conclude that a locus for dominant hearing loss is present at 6p25 and that this locus is restricted to a region distal to D6S1617. Molecular characterization of more 6p25 deletion patients will aid in refinement of this locus and the identification of a gene involved in dominant hearing loss