Ignored but Assumed. Family and Gender between Public and Private Realm

Posits that the role of women as the bearers of strategies to transform the public sphere within the private sphere has been ignored but assumed in the context of postcommunist social transformation in the Czech Republic because of the omission of the public, private, & gender concepts as analytical sociological tools. The private-public relationship in modern society is addressed as an open process in which gender relations are not only formed, but in return, also form the connotations of these spheres according to gender understanding. On this theoretical base, possible ways of rethinking the model of the bourgeois family, which, in Czech society, has a normative power, are suggested with reference to Hanna Arendt's & Jurgen Habermas's concepts. Thus, the current process of socialism under changing conditions can be dealt with as a complex problem of interrelations between the private & public spheres

The Political Representation of Women in Mass Media Discourse in the Czech Republic 1990-1998

Analyzes the role of various categories of intelligentsia in establishing the terms of public discourse, as well as specific & general perceptions of the gender dimension of Czech politics & gender stereotypes in the context of politics. Data are drawn from articles explicitly dealing with the subject in the major Czech dailies & selected magazines. A typology of the attitudes embodied in these articles is developed, & their authors classified in terms of profession, sex, age, & political affiliations. Analysis confirms that media workers are weak in their response to public opinion & use of experts, & are principally aligned with attitudes directly derived from the sphere of politics. In relation to the issue of the political representation of women, the media has affected public discourse by both opening it &, paradoxically, blocking it. Nevertheless, gender stereotypes have been undergoing special modifications in the context of political representation

Der Konflikt in Somalia aus der Perspektive zweier anthropologischer Konflikttheorien

In dieser Arbeit wird der Konflikt in Somalia aus der Perspektive der „Insitutionenzentrierte Konflikttheorie“ von Christoph Zürcher und der „Theorie der Gewaltmärkte“ von Georg Elwert betrachtet, welche dabei als Analyserahmen dienen. Untersucht wird, welche Rolle Institutionen (insbesondere jene, die der Konfliktregelung dienen) und Gewaltmärkte im somalischen Konflikt spielen. Ein besonderes Augenmerk wird auf den Prozess der Entbettung von Konflikten aus dem Gesellschaftsgefüge und die Bedingungen für die Entstehung und Stabilisierung von Gewaltmärkten gelegt. Am Beispiel Somalias hat sich gezeigt, dass das Wirken von Institutionen erheblichen Einfluss auf den Verlauf von Konflikten hat. Werden Institutionen der Konfliktregelung geschwächt oder unwirksam, kommt es zur Gewalteskalation, welche wiederum nur eingedämmt und beendet werden kann, wenn Konfliktregelwerke greifen. Seit der Kolonialzeit hat in Somalia ein grundlegender institutioneller Wandel stattgefunden, der traditionelle Institutionen geschwächt hat. Die genauere Betrachtung einzelner Institutionen hat gezeigt, dass diese jedoch unter Umständen auch konfliktfördernd wirken können. Es hat eine Entbettung von Konflikten aus dem staatlichen und teilweise dem traditionellen Institutionengefüge stattgefunden. Das bewirkte ein entregeltes Austragen von Konflikten und ermöglichte erst die Gewalteskalation bis hin zum Zusammenbruch des somalischen Staates. Der Verlust des Gewaltmonopols hinterließ einen gewaltoffenen Raum, in welchem Gewaltausübung nicht oder nicht ausreichend reguliert wird, der die Entstehung einer Kriegsökonomie, also von Gewaltmärkten, überhaupt erst ermöglichte. Die Neubildung und Wiederbelebung von konfliktregulierenden Institutionen und die damit einher gehende „Verteuerung“ der Gewalt bewirkte ein Auflösen der Gewaltmärkte, wenn auch nicht vollständig. Die gewaltoffenen Räume in Somalia haben sich verkleinert, aber sie sind doch vorhanden. Die Betrachtung der Situation in Somalia aus der Perspektive der Gewaltmärktetheorie hat hervorgebracht, dass die Existenz der Gewaltmärkte in Somalia ein entscheidender Faktor für den negativen Konfliktverlauf waren und sind

EROD and MROD as Markers of Cytochrome P450 1A Activities in Hepatic Microsomes from Entire and Castrated Male Pigs

In the present study, we characterized the kinetic parameters of 7-ethoxy-resorufin O-deethylation (EROD) and 7-methoxyresorufin O-demethylation (MROD) in hepatic microsomes from entire and castrated male pigs. Validation parameters of an HPLC-based method to analyse EROD and MROD activities are also described. Eadie-Hofstee plot analysis demonstrated a biphasic kinetic of EROD, indicating that at least two forms of cytochrome P450 are involved in this reaction. MROD followed monophasic kinetic, suggesting that a single enzyme, or enzymes with similar affinities, is responsible for the reaction. Inhibitory effects of α-naphthoflavone (ANF), ellipticine and furafylline were studied using microsomes from entire and castrated male pigs. ANF is a known inhibitor of both cytochrome P450 1A1 and 1A2 (CYP1A1 and CYP1A2); the presence of ANF in the incubations resulted in the inhibition of both EROD and MROD activities in porcine liver microsomes. EROD activities in porcine liver microsomes were also inhibited by selective CYP1A1 inhibitor ellipticine, but not by CYP1A2 inhibitor furafylline. MROD activities were strongly inhibited by ellipticine and to a much lesser extent by furafylline. Further studies are needed to evaluate substrate specificities of porcine CYP1A1 and CYP1A2

Leeches as Sensor-bioindicators of River Contamination by PCBs

The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of leeches of the genus Erpobdella as a means of assessing polychlorinated biphenyl contamination of watercourses. The River Skalice, heavily contaminated with PCBs, was selected as a model. The source of contamination was a road gravel processing factory in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem from which an estimated 1 metric ton of PCBs leaked in 1986. Levels of PCB were measured in leeches collected between 1992 to 2003 from 11 sites covering about 50 km of the river (the first sampling site upstream to the source of contamination and 10 sites downstream). The PCB indicator congeners IUPA no. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180 were measured. Levels were highest at the four sampling sites nearest the source of pollution. The highest values of PCB congeners were found in 1992. PCB content decreased from 1992 to 2003 and with distance from the source. The study indicated that leeches of the genus Erpobdella are a suitable bioindicator of contamination in the surface layer of river sediments

Noether symmetries and analytical solutions in f(T)-cosmology: A complete study

We investigate the main features of the flat Friedmann-Lema{\i}tre-Robertson-Walker cosmological models in the f(T) teleparallel gravity. In particular, a general approach to find out exact cosmological solutions in f (T) gravity is discussed. Instead of taking into account phenomenological models, we consider as a selection criterion, the existence of Noether symmetries in the cosmological f(T) point-like Lagrangian. We find that only power-law models admit extra Noether symmetries. A complete analysis of such cosmological models is developed.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Study of the effect of paracetamol binded in polymeric nanoparticles on dafnia magna.

Drugs are important xenobiotics in the environment. Their use increases with the growth of the human population, but also in agricultural primary production. Paracetamol (PAR) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic and its production is still growing. Commonly available drug production technologies are being developed very intensively with nanotechnological modifications for their gradual and targeted release. Nanoparticles (ST/PAR) from starch were prepared: PAR (0, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 mg/L) was mixed with citric acid ester in a 1:8 v/v ratio for 30 min at 25 °C. By the centrifugation (16.000 g, 30 min) ST/PAR were obtained in the pellet. The effect of PAR was studied on Daphnia magna Straus (Cladocera, Crustacea). Adult females (70-400 mg) were used for self-evaluation. The EC50 was 3.749 mg/L after 48 h of PAR treatment. Total protein values determined by Lowry method were between 0.5-2.2 mg/mL and by Bradford method between 190-676 mg/L. Antioxidant activity values determined by CUPRAC method were between 4-15 μg/mL GAE and by ABTS method ranged between 40-103 μg/mL GAE. PAR values were between 9-40 μM. Subsequently, the biological activity of the prepared nanoparticles was tested

Proline-based carbamates as cholinesterase inhibitors

Series of twenty-five benzyl (2S)-2-(arylcarbamoyl)pyrrolidine-1-carboxylates was prepared and completely characterized. All the compounds were tested for their in vitro ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and the selectivity of compounds to individual cholinesterases was determined. Screening of the cytotoxicity of all the compounds was performed using a human monocytic leukaemia THP-1 cell line, and the compounds demonstrated insignificant toxicity. All the compounds showed rather moderate inhibitory effect against AChE; benzyl (2S)-2-[(2-chlorophenyl)carbamoyl]pyrrolidine-1-carboxylate (IC50 = 46.35 M) was the most potent agent. On the other hand, benzyl (2S)-2-[(4-bromophenyl)-] and benzyl (2S)-2-[(2-bromophenyl)carbamoyl]pyrrolidine-1-carboxylates expressed anti-BChE activity (IC50 = 28.21 and 27.38 M, respectively) comparable with that of rivastigmine. The ortho-brominated compound as well as benzyl (2S)-2-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)carbamoyl]pyrrolidine-1-carboxylate demonstrated greater selectivity to BChE. The in silico characterization of the structure–inhibitory potency for the set of proline-based carbamates considering electronic, steric and lipophilic properties was provided using comparative molecular surface analysis (CoMSA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Moreover, the systematic space inspection with splitting data into the training/test subset was performed to monitor the statistical estimators performance in the effort to map the probability-guided pharmacophore pattern. The comprehensive screening of the AChE/BChE profile revealed potentially relevant structural and physicochemical features that might be essential for mapping of the carbamates inhibition efficiency indicating qualitative variations exerted on the reaction site by the substituent in the 30-/40-position of the phenyl ring. In addition, the investigation was completed by a molecular docking study of recombinant human AChE

Avian papillomaviruses: the parrot Psittacus erithacus papillomavirus (PePV) genome has a unique organization of the early protein region and is phylogenetically related to the chaffinch papillomavirus

BACKGROUND: An avian papillomavirus genome has been cloned from a cutaneous exophytic papilloma from an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus). The nucleotide sequence, genome organization, and phylogenetic position of the Psittacus erithacus papillomavirus (PePV) were determined. This PePV sequence represents the first complete avian papillomavirus genome defined. RESULTS: The PePV genome (7304 basepairs) differs from other papillomaviruses, in that it has a unique organization of the early protein region lacking classical E6 and E7 open reading frames. Phylogenetic comparison of the PePV sequence with partial E1 and L1 sequences of the chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) papillomavirus (FPV) reveals that these two avian papillomaviruses form a monophyletic cluster with a common branch that originates near the unresolved center of the papillomavirus evolutionary tree. CONCLUSIONS: The PePV genome has a unique layout of the early protein region which represents a novel prototypic genomic organization for avian papillomaviruses. The close relationship between PePV and FPV, and between their Psittaciformes and Passeriformes hosts, supports the hypothesis that papillomaviruses have co-evolved and speciated together with their host species throughout evolution

1-Hydroxypyrene–A Biochemical Marker for PAH Pollution Assessment of Aquatic Ecosystem

The aim of the present study was to assess aquatic contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), using the 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) content in fish bile as a biochemical marker. A total of 71 chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.) were collected from seven locations on the Svitava and Svratka rivers in and around the industrial city of Brno, Czech Republic. The levels of 1-OHP were determined by reverse phase HPLC with fluorescence detection after deconjugation. Normalising the molar concentration of the biliary 1-OHP to the biliary protein content reduced sample variation. The content of 1-OHP was correlated with the PAH level in bottom sediment and semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMD), which was analyzed by a combination of HPLC/FLD and GC/MS methods. The highest mean values of 1-OHP were found in fish caught at the Svratka River at locations Modřice (169.2 ± 99.7 ng·mg−1 protein) and Rajhradice (152.2 ± 79.7 ng·mg−1 protein), which are located downstream from Brno. These values were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those obtained from localities Kníničky (98.4 ± 66.1 ng·mg−1 protein) and Bílovice nad Svitavou (64.1 ± 31.4 ng·mg−1 protein). The lowest contents of PAH in sediment and SPMD were found at location Kníničky (1.5 mg·kg−1 dry mass and 19.4 ng·L−1, respectively). The highest contents of PAH in sediment and SPMD were found in Rajhradice (26.0 mg·kg−1 dry mass) and Svitava before junction (65.4 ng·L−1), respectively. A Spearman correlation test was applied to determine the relationship between biliary 1-OHP and the sum of PAH in sediment and SPMD. A positive, but no statistically significant correlation was found. The main impact sources of elevated level of PAHs in sites located downstream from Brno are most probably intensive industrial and agricultural activities and domestic waste