Kazuo Ishiguro’s Idiostyle (Novel “Klara and the Sun”)

Interpretations of the multidimensional concept of “writer’s idiostyle” are presented in the framework of the study of its various characteristics, in particular, in the context of the study of a linguistic personality, from the point of view of the linguotypology of a literary text, from the standpoint of a communicative-activity approach. The relevance of studying the idiostyle of a particular author is due to the fact that its characteristic features and original ways of implementing the author’s intention are the most important elements of the characterization of the literary process in a certain era. The novelty of the study is seen in the fact that the new novel by the British writer of Japanese origin K. Ishiguro “Klara and the Sun” has not yet become the subject of study by literary critics. Particular attention is paid to the international aspect, which occupies a leading position in his work. The implementation of such key elements of the writer's idiostyle as genre form, type of narration, chronotope, images of characters, ideological and thematic component, leading stylistic means is analyzed. They are compared with the characteristic features of other works of the author. It is shown that in the novel “Klara and the Sun” literary devices typical for Kazuo Ishiguro’s work continue to develop, however, they receive new development and original implementation, the author’s tasks are solved in a new way, the system of images and interpretation of the main themes and ideas are built in a slightly different way

The Main Tendencies of Spontaneous Prose in the Stories of John McGregor

The principles and techniques of spontaneous prose in the stories of the modern English writer J. McGregor are considered. The novelty of the research is determined by the insufficient study of the specifics of spontaneous prose in modern literature in general and the principles of spontaneity in the stories of J. McGregor, in particular. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that the new narrative forms that take place in the works of modern literature require close study, the development of special decoding methods. It is shown that spontaneous prose provides the writer with an opportunity for various kinds of experiments that relate to both the form of the narrative and the content of the work. It is concluded that the main tendencies of spontaneity, which are realized in the stories of J. McGregor, are the following elements: polyphony, the presence of a second implicit narrative plan, imitation of the stream of consciousness in the external and internal speech of characters, creation of sketch images of heroes, description of events in the form of sketches, a narrative collage technique reminiscent of a series of snapshots or still frames. It is proved that all of the above techniques provoke many implications, give rise to various associations and are aimed at involving the reader in the process of interpreting the work, his active co-creation

Fragmentation of Modern Artistic Narrative (English-Language Prose)

The question of the role, forms and functions of fragmentation of modern artistic narra tive is considered. The results of the analy sis of the fragmentary narrative of the works of contemporary  English-speaking  authors (J.   Barnes,   D.   Mitchell,   M. Cunningham, I. Banks, J. Franzen, S. Faulks, J. Eugenides, A. Smith, J. McGregor and others) are presented. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that in the modern literature of the postmodernist direction, nonlinearity of narration, deliberate mixing of temporal, local, descriptive and other layers are becoming widespread, practically becoming the norm. The novelty of the research is seen in the fact that the fragmentation of a literary text is studied at different levels — compositional, content-thematic, plot, ideological-figurative, genre, narrative, chronotopic. It has been proved that the forms of implementation of fragmentariness are quite diverse: irregular division of the text, heterogeneity of themes and ideas, lack of linear development of the plot, combination of elements of different genres, the presence of internal polystylism, the use of different types of narration and narrator, violation of the unity of the chronotope. The analysis of specific material showed that the functions of a fragmentary narrative are determined by each specific context, the leading ones being the impact on the reader, the management of his attention, the placement of accents according to the writer's intention, the creation of the impression of authenticity and reliability

Contamination of Postmodernist and Post-Postmodernist Tendencies in the Works by J. Franzen

В статье рассматриваются признаки основных литературных направлений - постмодернизма и пост-постмодернизма - в романах американского писателя Дж. Франзена.The study focuses on the manifestation of the main literary trends - postmodernism and post-postmodernism- in the novels of the contemporary American writer J. Franzen

Reflecting on Hybrid Events: Learning from a Year of Hybrid Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a sudden shift to virtual work and events, with the last two years enabling an appropriated and rather simulated togetherness - the hybrid mode. As we return to in-person events, it is important to reflect on not only what we learned about technologies and social justice, but about the types of events we desire, and how to re-design them accordingly. This SIG aims to reflect on hybrid events and their execution: scaling them across sectors, communities, and industries; considering trade-offs when choosing technologies; studying best practices and defining measures of "success"for hybrid events; and finally, identifying and charting the wider social, ethical, and legal implications of hybrid formats. This SIG will consolidate these topics by inviting participants to collaboratively reflect on previous hybrid experiences and what can be learned from them

Генетические изменения в линии Рпоч1-КК cветлоклеточного рака почки человека

Continuous cell line Рпоч1-КК from the сollection of N. N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center refers to the kidney clear cell carcinoma subtypе. It is useful for study of carcinogenesis and molecular targets for targeted therapy.Objective. Analysis of the genetic alterations in a stable cell culture Рпоч1-КК to characterize this model cell line.Results. Alterations in VHL (exons 1, 2 and 3) and TP53 genes (exons 6–10) were identified by amplification of genomic DNA followed by fragment analysis polymerase chain reaction and direct Sanger sequencing. An extended deletion in exon 1 in combination with mutation in exon 7 of VHL gene and 2 polymorphisms in exon 4 of TP53 gene were reveated. Such simultaneous alterations in 2 suppressor genes maight be one of the causes of aggressive tumor growth and its resistance to standard therapy.Перевиваемая клеточная линия Рпоч1-КК из коллекции РОНЦ им. Н. Н. Блохина относится к подтипу светлоклеточного рака почки и может использоваться для исследования механизмов канцерогенеза, а также определения молекулярных мишеней таргетной терапии.Цель исследования – анализ генетических изменений в стабильной культуре клеток Рпоч1-КК для характеристики этой модельной линии.Результаты. Изменения в генах VHL (экзоны 1, 2 и 3) и ТР53 (экзоны 6–10) идентифицировали путем амплификации геномной ДНК с последующим фрагментным анализом продуктов полимеразной цепной реакции и прямым секвенированием по Сэнгеру. Выявлена протяженная делеция в экзоне 1 гена VHL в сочетании с мутацией в экзоне 7 и 2 полиморфизмами в экзоне 4 гена ТР53. Такие cопряженные нарушения в генах- супрессорах могут быть одной из причин агрессивного роста опухоли и ее резистентности к стандартной терапии

Aβ Mediated Diminution of MTT Reduction—An Artefact of Single Cell Culture?

The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) reduction assay is a frequently used and easily reproducible method to measure beta-amyloid (Aβ) toxicity in different types of single cell culture. To our knowledge, the influence of Aβ on MTT reduction has never been tested in more complex tissue. Initially, we reproduced the disturbed MTT reduction in neuron and astroglia primary cell cultures from rats as well as in the BV2 microglia cell line, utilizing four different Aβ species, namely freshly dissolved Aβ (25-35), fibrillar Aβ (1-40), oligomeric Aβ (1-42) and oligomeric Aβ (1-40). In contrast to the findings in single cell cultures, none of these Aβ species altered MTT reduction in rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHC). Moreover, application of Aβ to acutely isolated hippocampal slices from adult rats and in vivo intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ also did not influence the MTT reduction in the respective tissue. Failure of Aβ penetration into the tissue cannot explain the differences between single cells and the more complex brain tissue. Thus electrophysiological investigations disclosed an impairment of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices from rat by application of oligomeric Aβ (1-40), but not by freshly dissolved Aβ (25-35) or fibrillar Aβ (1-40). In conclusion, the experiments revealed a glaring discrepancy between single cell cultures and complex brain tissue regarding the effect of different Aβ species on MTT reduction. Particularly, the differential effect of oligomeric versus other Aβ forms on LTP was not reflected in the MTT reduction assay. This may indicate that the Aβ oligomer effect on synaptic function reflected by LTP impairment precedes changes in formazane formation rate or that cells embedded in a more natural environment in the tissue are less susceptible to damage by Aβ, raising cautions against the consideration of single cell MTT reduction activity as a reliable assay in Alzheimer's drug discovery studies

Фенотипическая пластичность метастатической меланомы

Introduction. Metastatic melanoma is characterized by clinical and morphological heterogeneity and plasticity. Rare cases of metastatic melanoma are known, that have no visual expression of melanocytic markers. Contradictory histology of such melanomas requires a differential diagnosis from morphologically similar non- melanocytic tumors, sarcoma or lymphoma. objective is to describe the extraordinary cases of metastatic melanomas with low expression of differentiation markers. material and methods. 15 melanoma cases with unusual clinical and morphological characteristics were included in the study. These tumors were examined by pathologist and cytologist, by immunohistochemical and FISH analyses, mutations in BRAF, NRAS and KIT genes were detected by PCR. results. Some primary tumors were amelanotic, therefore, they were difficult for differential tumor diagnosis. Most frequently, primary tumors were located on the back, shin or head. In 4 patients the primary focuses were not detected. Metastatic lesions were as large nodular tumors in soft tissues of the back or lower limb. Most tumors belong to mixed or spindle-cell histological types. Spindle-shaped cells were also revealed by cytological analysis. BRAF gene mutations were identified by genetic analysis in 27 % of tumors, NRAS and KIT gene mutations were not detected. In 4 cases FISH analysis was performed to detect EWSR1 gene rearrangements, but it did not confirm the diagnosis of sarcoma. conclusion. The results indicate the presence of a heterogeneous group of melanoma cases, which have a number of morphological and molecular features that bring them closer to sarcomas.Актуальность. Метастатическая меланома отличается клинико-морфологической гетерогенностью и пластичностью. Встречаются редкие случаи метастатической меланомы, которые практически не экспрессируют меланоцитарных маркеров. Гиcтологически такие меланомы требуют дифференциальной диагностики от морфологически сходных немеланоцитарных опухолей, саркомы или лимфомы. Цель исследования – исследование неординарных случаев метастатической меланомы с низкой экспрессией дифференцировочных маркеров. материал и методы. Описаны 15 случаев меланомы с необычными клинико-морфологическими характеристиками. Опухоли подверглись морфологическому, цитологическому исследованию, иммуногистохимическому и FISH-анализу, были определены мутации в генах BRAF, NRAS и KIT. Результаты. Первичные меланомы часто не содержали пигмента, что затрудняло дифференциальную диагностику опухоли. Опухоли располагались чаще всего на спине, голени или голове, у 4 пациентов первичные очаги не выявлены. Метастатические поражения представляли собой крупные узловые новообразования в мягких тканях в области спины либо нижней конечности. Большинство опухолей относились к смешанному или веретеноклеточному гистологическим типам. Веретенообразные клетки отмечены и при цитологических исследованиях. При генетическом анализе мутации в гене BRAF выявлены в 27 % меланом, мутации в генах NRAS и KIT не обнаружены. В 4 случаях с помощью FISH проведен анализ на наличие реаранжировки гена EWSR1, при этом диагноз саркомы не подтвердился. Полученные результаты указывают на гистологическую и молекулярную неоднородность и фенотипическую пластичность исследованных меланом. Ряд выявленных молекулярно-генетических особенностей сближает эти опухоли с саркомами

A Neuron-Glial Perspective for Computational Neuroscience

International audienceThere is growing excitement around glial cells, as compelling evidence point to new, previously unimaginable roles for these cells in information processing of the brain, with the potential to affect behavior and higher cognitive functions. Among their many possible functions, glial cells could be involved in practically every aspect of the brain physiology in health and disease. As a result, many investigators in the field welcome the notion of a Neuron-Glial paradigm of brain function, as opposed to Ramon y Cayal's more classical neuronal doctrine which identifies neurons as the prominent, if not the only, cells capable of a signaling role in the brain. The demonstration of a brain-wide Neuron-Glial paradigm however remains elusive and so does the notion of what neuron-glial interactions could be functionally relevant for the brain computational tasks. In this perspective, we present a selection of arguments inspired by available experimental and modeling studies with the aim to provide a biophysical and conceptual platform to computational neuroscience no longer as a mere prerogative of neuronal signaling but rather as the outcome of a complex interaction between neurons and glial cells

PARTICULARITIES OF THE WATER EXCHANGE AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN LICHEN OF THE SORT CLADONIAON TERRITORY KURGANSKOY AREA

This article is devoted to studying of water exchange and photosynthesis in lichens of the genus Cladonia. Studies have shown differences in the intensity of flow of physiological processes (water metabolism, photosynthesis) lichens bushy Lichen genus Cladonia depending on aspectual particularities and ecological conditions. The more high return of water and absorption of water, pigment content is is characterized by C. alpestris. The lichens collected with open well illuminated place from the pine forest «ecological tropes» are characterized greater return and absorption of water, intensity of the photosynthesis, than lichens, collected under the canopy of pine forest. The intensity to assimilations of the carbon dioxide of lichen reaches the maximum under full saturation by their water and on background of the more high contents pigment. Tallomes of lichensof the genus Cladonia, collected with open well illuminated place are characterized by more high contents of of chlorophyll a and carotenoids