Czech society at the beginning of normalization

The thesis discusses the influence of three levels of Czech society after the year 1968. The first plane is the ideology of the new regime, which is called normalization. It was possible to force people to loyalty by Marxism-Leninism? And what ideological basis had the the normalization regime in Czechoslovakia, which was to legitimize his power? Second and broadmost is the plane of the social policy of the state. Since 1945 a large social network is developing in Czechoslovakia that has a great success especially in the consolidation of the new communist regime in the early 50th of the 20 century. After 1968, the situation is different than 20 years ago. This chapter focuses on each single area of social policy and examines the positive sides, but also negative ones. What had normalization social policy succeed in and what was the extent to which it led to consolidation of postaugust society in Czechoslovakia? On the other hand the text will be dealing with the negative aspects of social benefits offered by the regime. These negatives then largely contributed to the collapse of the regime at the end of 1989. The third chapter examines the extent of the early normalization strong criminal repression and their complexion. Social policy of the state in this part gets through with penal repression and..

Czechs and Germans in a post-war city

My thesis is about coexistence of Czechs and Germans just after World War II in border region, especially in one city, in Mariánské Lázně. There was dispatched the first oficially transport with local Germans in January 1946 and this city was announced of a purely czech city in the spring 1946. What was the attitude of Czechs, local and new arrivals, to the local population over the years 1945 and 1946? As a purely German spa resort Marienbad changed during one year in Czech Mariánské Lázně? This time was characterized by the acute postwar radicalism and it is not explored in detail yet. My thesis is based on the memories of local population (natives and settlers). Another source are written documents (chronicle, official files and newspaper articles)

Czechs and Germans in a post-war city

My thesis is about coexistence of Czechs and Germans just after World War II in border region, especially in one city, in Mariánské Lázně. There was dispatched the first oficially transport with local Germans in January 1946 and this city was announced of a purely czech city in the spring 1946. What was the attitude of Czechs, local and new arrivals, to the local population over the years 1945 and 1946? As a purely German spa resort Marienbad changed during one year in Czech Mariánské Lázně? This time was characterized by the acute postwar radicalism and it is not explored in detail yet. My thesis is based on the memories of local population (natives and settlers). Another source are written documents (chronicle, official files and newspaper articles)

A three-dimensional multi-electrode array for multi-site stimulation and recording in acute brain slices

Several multi-electrode array devices integrating planar metal electrodes were designed in the past 30 years for extracellular stimulation and recording from cultured neuronal cells and organotypic brain slices. However, these devices are not well suited for recordings from acute brain slice preparations due to a dead cell layer at the tissue slice border that appears during the cutting procedure. To overcome this problem, we propose the use of protruding 3D electrodes, i.e. tip-shaped electrodes, allowing tissue penetration in order to get closer to living neurons in the tissue slice. In this paper, we describe the design and fabrication of planar and 3D protruding multi-electrode arrays. The electrical differences between planar and 3D protruding electrode configuration were simulated and verified experimentally. Finally, a comparison between the planar and 3D protruding electrode configuration was realized by stimulation and recording from acute rat hippocampus slices. The results show that larger signal amplitudes in the millivolt range can be obtained with the 3D electrode devices. Spikes corresponding to single cell activity could be monitored in the hippocampus CA3 and CA1 region using 3D electrodes

A three-dimensional multi-electrode array for multi-site stimulation and recording in acute brain slices

Several multi-electrode array devices integrating planar metal electrodes were designed in the past 30 years for extracellular stimulation and recording from cultured neuronal cells and organotypic brain slices. However, these devices are not well suited for recordings from acute brain slice preparations due to a dead cell layer at the tissue slice border that appears during the cutting procedure. To overcome this problem, we propose the use of protruding 3D electrodes, i.e. tip-shaped electrodes, allowing tissue penetration in order to get closer to living neurons in the tissue slice. In this paper, we describe the design and fabrication of planar and 3D protruding multi-electrode arrays. The electrical differences between planar and 3D protruding electrode configuration were simulated and verified experimentally. Finally, a comparison between the planar and 3D protruding electrode configuration was realized by stimulation and recording from acute rat hippocampus slices. The results show that larger signal amplitudes in the millivolt range can be obtained with the 3D electrode devices. Spikes corresponding to single cell activity could be monitored in the hippocampus CA3 and CA1 region using 3D electrodes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

On the discrepancy between whole-cell and membrane patch mechanosensitivity in Xenopus oocytes

Mechanical stimulation of voltage-clamped Xenopus oocytes by inflation, aspiration, or local indentation failed to activate an increase in membrane conductance up to the point of causing visible oocyte damage.The absence of mechanosensitivity is not due to the vitelline membrane, rapid MG channel adaptation or tension-sensitive recruitment of new membrane.Membrane capacitance measurements indicate that the oocyte surface area is at least 5 times larger than that predicted assuming a smooth sphere. We propose that this excess membrane area provides an immediate reserve that can ‘buffer’ membrane tension changes and thus prevent MG channel activation.High-resolution images of tightly sealed patches and patch capacitance measurements indicate a smooth membrane that is pulled flat and perpendicular across the inside of the pipette. Brief steps of pressure or suction cause rapid and reversible membrane flexing and MG channel activation.We propose that changes in membrane geometry induced during cell growth and differentiation or as a consequence of specific physiological and pathological conditions may alter mechanosensitivity of a cell independently of the intrinsic properties of channel proteins