A Systematisation of Transcriptions of Early Olonkho Recordings According to Plot Peculiarity

The article presents the results of textual studies of the early recordings of the Yakut heroic epic Olonkho, recorded from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that scientific research of the texts of the early recordings of Olonkho with full broadcasts of the plot is most widely, systematically carried out. At the same time, researchers today continue to pay less attention to early recordings of Olonkho, producing brief or incomplete schematic statements of content. A review of early texts on Olonkho shows that these reviews have incomplete, overly concise, summaries of the plot, although they do confirm the stability of the ancient thematic content, plot structure, motifs, and image system. The richness of the poetic language and the beauty of the style, and the surprisingly artistic content and archaic motifs, which can be seen even in translations, are of considerable value for establishing a full picture of the unique oral creativity of the Yakut people. This study attempts for the first time to systematise transcriptions of early recordings of Olonkho using a summary of the plot in Russian compared with a summary of the plot in the original language. The systematised texts will be used in a comparative study of Olonkho texts recorded in the 19th and 20th centuries. This analysis shows that there has been a transfer of plot with epic texts of the late period in order to maintain a degree of continuity, using both common and specific features to bridge between traditional and modern forms of Olonkho, taking into account regional and local features.&nbsp

Russian version of cultural federalism

This article proposes a vision of the idea of “cultural federalism” contributing to the stability of ethnic culture in the era of assimilation by mass culture and global unification, revitalizing the meanings of modernity, enriching the multinational synergy of Russian culture, overcoming capitalist alienation and disintegration of multiculturalism. Methods of analysis and comparison are used in ethnocultural dynamics, mastering such symbolic conquests as “federalism” in the paradigm of modernity, which fits into the process of ethnocultural modernization. The novelty of the work lies in the substantiation of the concept of cultural federalism vs ethnic federalism, as the most appropriate for the modern cultural situation in Russia, the cultural capital of which is multinational and, accordingly, the effect of “Russian multiculturalism” that can oppose secession with an integration trend, reanimate the cooperative effect of the interaction of cultural programs, their complementarity. The authors are interested in the dialectical self-development of historical and cultural differences of the subjects of the federation entering the era of natural modernization, reflected in the ethnic cultural renaissance of the present. The idea of cultural federalism contributes to the development of the Russian national idea, the absence of which reduces the effect of national consolidation and socio-economic development. It is proposed as a tool for solving the problem of "sleeping federalism" and the dialectical contradiction between the form and content of the present state of ethnic federalism

Drug discovery for age-related diseases and their targets

Insight into biological pathways, identification of new targets and appropriate biomarkers are the prerequisites for drug discovery & development. This PhD thesis addresses the role of fundamental research in drug discovery in age-related Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and a cancer-related target, the cell cycle. The large economic impact of AD, exponentially increasing in the ageing societies of industrialised countries strongly urges for discovery and development of drugs and therapy-related tools. As a consequence, the interest for retinoids based on their confirmed involvement in the regulation of disease-related genes in neurodegenerative ailments including AD has been revived, even though details of their molecular modes of action remain to be elucidated. The first project described in this PhD thesis focuses on the regulation of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-secretases mediated by all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), the main metabolite of retinoids. Our findings support the hypothesis that ATRA is capable of regulating secretases in the anti-amyloidogenic sense at the levels of transcription, translation, and activation. Apart from increased alpha-secretase activity, we show a complex chain of regulatory events, resulting in impaired beta-secretase trafficking and its membranal localisation due to protein kinase C (PKC) activation by ATRA, resulting in enhanced secretion of soluble APPalpha. ATRA also affected activity, transcription and localisation of Presenilin 1, the functional core of the gamma-secretase, but had no effect on Presenilin 2. The experiments were performed in three neuronal and non-neuronal cell lines of human and murine origin, which allowed us to determine general mechanisms and cell line-specific differences in the ATRA-mediated regulation of secretases. Although control of gene expression by retinoids occurs mainly via genomic regulation of target genes, anti-amyloidogenic effects of retinoids have been attributed to their PKC-stimulating ability and subsequent activation of alpha-secretases only. Therefore, contribution of genomic and non-genomic control mechanisms to the regulation of BACE1, the main beta-secretase, by ATRA was examined in the second project. Our findings corroborated the role of PKC stimulation in the down-regulation of BACE1 at the transcriptional and translational levels, resulting in decrease of Abeta42 in the human embryonic kidney HEK 293 cell line. ATRA induced DNA-binding activity of its receptors RARbeta-RXR, and showed PKC- dependent activation of the transcription factors NFkB and AP-1, as revealed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). We show disruption of a PKC-modulated decrease of BACE1 mRNA and Abeta levels, when NFkB or AP-1 activity was blocked by BAY11-7082, NFkB inhibitor, or by the transfection of inhibitory DNA-oligonucleotides. For the first time PKC-signalling induced by retinoids could be linked to the transcriptional control of BACE1 regulation. The last project described in this PhD studied the role of ADAM17 in the the cell cycle. ADAM17 is gaining attention in the field of clinical research as a potential outcome biomarker in breast cancer and adenocarcinoma. However, a possible implication of ADAM17 in the cell cycle has not been investigated, since its role in cancer is usually considered in the context of epidermal growth factor receptor signalling. First, through a combination of mass spectrometry and biochemical methods, we identified alpha- and beta-tubulins as binding partners of ADAM17. This interaction was confirmed bidirectionally in the murine neuroblastoma N2a cell line, and the ADAM17 fragments involved in tubulin-binding were identified. Additionally, we showed co-localisation of ADAM17 and tubulins in the spindle of mitotic cells. Furthermore, we were able to show a cell cycle-dependent regulation of ADAM17 by over-expression of either full length or mature ADAM17 versions in N2a cell line and observed significantly increased invasiveness due to over-expression of mature ADAM17 form. Still, biological significance of the interaction between ADAM17 and tubulins remains to be discovered. Altogether, these studies examined existing theories, raised new hypothesis, and contributed to the identification of new targets and a clearer understanding of fundamental mechanisms

Promotion of cell death or neurite outgrowth in PC-12 and N2a cells by the fungal alkaloid militarinone A depends on basal expression of p53

The fungal alkaloid militarinone A (MiliA) was recently found to stimulate neuronal outgrowth in PC-12 cells by persistant activation of pathways that are also involved in NGF-mediated differentiation, namely the PI3-K/PKB and the MEK/ERK pathways. Application of equal concentrations of MiliA to other cells such as the murine neuroblastoma cell line N2a resulted in immediate onset of apoptosis by nuclear translocation of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), activation of caspases and c-Jun/AP-1 transcription factor without an intermediate differentiated phenotype, although minor transient phosphorylation of PKB and MAPK as well as activation of NF-κB were also observed. Translocation of AIF was preceded by p53 phosphorylation at Ser15 and blocked by pifithrin α, a known inhibitor of p53-transcriptional activity. We here show that both cell types activate the same pathways albeit in different time scales. This is mainly due to contrasting basal expression levels of p53, which in turn regulates expression of AIF. In PC-12 cells, continuous activation of these pathways after prolonged treatment with 40μM MiliA first led to up-regulation of p53, phosphorylation of p53, release of AIF from mitochondria and its translocation into the nucleus. Additionally, also activation of the c-Jun/AP-1 transcription factor was observed, and PC-12 cells subsequently underwent apoptosis 48-72h post-treatment. We report that similar pathways working on different levels are able to initially shape very divergent cellular response

University-Industry and Business Cooperation: Global Imperatives and Local Challenges : an Example from Portugal

Economic aspects of knowledge have become increasingly important in the era of globalization and international competition on the one hand and in the context of financial austerity on the other hand. In a rather complicated environment of slowing economic growth, a rapidly aging population and increased unemployment, European universities are seen as engines of economic development and problem solving.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Strategy of commercialization of Russian innovations in Finland

Russia inherited a large research and development (R&D) sector from Soviet times, and has retained a substantial R&D sector today, compared with other emerging economies. However, Russia is failing behind in all indicators measuring innovative output in comparison with most developed countries. According to Martti Vallila, Finland has what Russia needs and Russia has what Finland needs. There are researchers and innovators in Russia. Finland has one of the leading innovation systems in the world to commercialize Russian sourced innovation. Therefore, research problem of the thesis is to find the strategy that Russian companies could use in order to commercialize their innovations in Finland and if this strategy depends on some factors. To acquaintance the reader to the wider theoretical context of the study, the concepts of commercialization and internationalization as a strategy by providing theoretical background to the issue. The empirical part of this thesis has been conducted with qualitative methods, a qualitative multiple case study. The research of the study consists of two parts. The first part was conducted by interviews with the representative from Tekes and representative of the project "Finnish-Russian Innovation Cooperation - Commercialization of Russian Innovations". The second part was also conducted by interviews, but with the representatives of the companies, who succeeded to commercialize their innovations in Finland. The main findings of the empirical part are next. The reason why Russian companies need to commercialize their innovations in Finland was found out, it is due to the obstacles in Russian innovation system, Finnish innovation system looks more attractive to Russian companies. Regarding to the steps of the commercialization process, there are no clear steps, but the following ones were suggested by the author: establish a joint venture, hire a local CEO or a book-keeper, prepare an investment plan, and create projects inside joint venture. Regarding the main challenges for Russian companies in Finland are: lack of human resources, lack of money (or investments), difference in taxation systems. Cooperation commercialization strategy seems to be the most suitable for Russian companies that would like to commercialize their innovations in Finland. Finally, the research identified that the choice of internationalization strategy effects the choice of commercialization strategy

Duchovní dědictví sv. Luky Vojno-Jaseneckého, lékaře, kněze a spisovatele

HTF - Ústav východního křesťanstvíHusitská teologická fakultaHussite Theological Facult

Olonkho of Olekminsk District in 19th and 20th Centuries: Traditions and Transformations

The situation of traditional storytelling is considered in terms of adherence to the canons of archaic olonkho. The material for the study consists of olonkho texts that were in circulation in the Olekminsky district of Yakutia. Texts were selected for analysis, among which early recordings of olonkho variants from the mid-19th century reveal transformations that distinguish them from traditional olonkho. These transformations are analyzed from the perspective of modern folklore studies — the preservation of the original archaic features of the epic. The author studied the plot-compositional structure, motif fund, and imagery system in early recordings of olonkho from the 19th and 20th centuries in Olekminsky. Deviations from established epic canons were identified. Structural-typological and comparative-comparative methods were applied. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that this aspect of the epic heritage of the Olekminsky district is being studied for the first time. As a result of the study, motifs from world, including Russian, fairy tales were discovered in the content of early recordings of Olekminsky olonkho. This is explained by the unique socio-cultural conditions of the region, in particular, the coexistence of several nationalities. The author attributes such additions to violations of the epic traditions of Yakut storytelling. It is noted that such violations are not found in the epic works of storytellers of the 20th century

Third mission activities: university managers' perceptions on existing barriers

In the context of increased international competition and financial austerity, an economic development mission has become an important strategic and policy issue for European higher education. This paper aims to contribute to knowledge regarding universities’ engagement with the external environment and its impact on internal governance and management. Using a qualitative case study approach, the paper explores third mission activities in Portuguese universities and examines university managers’ perceptions about the barriers to their greater effectiveness. The results identified two major types of barriers: external, relating mainly to government regulations and funding allocation, and internal, involving organisational characteristics. The study also highlighted some tensions between a growing emphasis on third mission activities and their institutionalization process within universities. The results are relevant to researchers who would like to continue the debate in a comparative perspective; as well as to policymakers and institutional leaders.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analogies in Yakut Olonkho and Tuvan Epos: Plot-Compositional Structure, Motives (based on the Epics “Nyurgun Bootur the Swift” by G. K. Orosin and “Hunan-Kara” Changchi-Khoo Oorzhak)

The results of a comparative analysis of the texts of the Yakut and Tuvan epics in order to establish common features in the epic heritage of the Yakut and Tuvan peoples are presented in the article. The relevance of the study is due to the problem of searching for the genetic origins of the formation of the heroic epic in modern epiconception. The degree of knowledge of the problem, the style of performance of the epic in a comparative perspective are examined. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the plot-compositional structure, plot-forming motifs. As a result of the study, data were revealed that testify to the undeniable occurrence of epic legends of the Yakut and Tuvan peoples at the interface of their historical and spiritual contacts in the Turkic-Mongolian world, about their common genetic origins. Analogies are found in the manner of performing the storytellers. The proximity of the plot-compositional structure was discovered: in both epic literary texts there are all elements of the plot composition, stable for the Turkic-Mongolian epics. It is established that in the studied works the themes of matchmaking of bogatyr-heroes and their heroic campaigns, battles with monsters in order to protect fellow tribesmen are in contact. Both epics contain ancient motifs: parents provide heroes with heroic armor and a horse; description of a horse-friend, heroism; matchmaking and marriage, etc