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

Exponential inequalities: equality law in times of crisis ed. by Shreya Atrey & Sandra Fredman

Review of Exponential inequalities: equality law in times of crisis ed. by Shreya Atrey & Sandra Fredman (Oxford University Press 2023), ISBN 9780192872999, 400 pages

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

The art of waiting humbly: women judges reflect on vertical gender segregation

Central and Eastern European countries (CEE), compared to common law countries but also other civil law countries of Europe, are known for a strikingly high representation of women within judiciaries. This, however, does not mean that equality has been achieved, as women judges do not reach leadership positions at the same rate as their male peers. Taking the Czech Republic as a case study, this contribution explores the barriers women judges face within a CEE judiciary and analyses their reflections on their positions. The interviews with women judges show that while they are well aware of what is holding them back, most of them do not perceive the structurally unequal position of men and women in Czech society and in the judiciary as a problem and accept the consequences as being part of women’s destiny. This means that the system currently lacks bottom-up incentives and pressure for change

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