Politics and Society in Federation Era Russia: Power Elites, Music and the Shaping and Manipulation of Culture and Identity

This thesis examines the relationship between government and society in shaping and manipulating perceptions – or even illusions – of culture and identity in contemporary Russia. Russia’s relationship with the larger world is arguably playing out in a revisionist post-Soviet era framework, particularly since Vladimir Putin first assumed the role of Acting President of the Russian Federation, following the resignation of Boris Yeltsin, in December 1999. Since, the Russian government has sought to create a perception of a healthy public space within representative democratic structure of government. This is a perception the government of Vladimir Putin is committed to maintaining. This study examines the use of music to persuade, create support for, or marginalize or eliminate meaningful dissent and opposition to the agendas of power elites within the governing structure of the Russian Federation. The concepts of the “real” and the “assumed” in the relationship between contemporary Russian music and politics is examined to highlight the role of existing scholarship in exploring this issue as well as identify the perspective and approach taken in the study. Other aspects of this topic examined include the history and context of the use of music by power elites in both the Soviet Era and the current Federation era to identify and examine the consistent role of music in shaping Russian culture and identity to support the vested interests of Russian power elites, regardless of era, and the roles of individual illusory cultural actors in the relationship between Russian music and politics. This thesis concludes that there is a consistent thread that connects the Soviet era and the current Federation era in Russia, in terms of the power structure’s use of music to shape and manipulate perceptions and interpretations of the public space to support the vested political interests of power elites. Additionally, this shaping and manipulation has entered a new phase in which the facilitation of particular cultural actors, groups and expression is emphasized over suppression

Prenatal exposure to Dexamethasone in the mouse alters cardiac growth patterns and increases pulse pressure in aged male offspring

Exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids during development can result in later cardiovascular and renal disease in sheep and rats. Although prenatal glucocorticoid exposure is associated with impaired renal development, less is known about effects on the developing heart. This study aimed to examine the effects of a short-term exposure to dexamethasone (60 hours from embryonic day 12.5) on the developing mouse heart, and cardiovascular function in adult male offspring. Dexamethasone (DEX) exposed fetuses were growth restricted compared to saline treated controls (SAL) at E14.5, but there was no difference between groups at E17.5. Heart weights of the DEX fetuses also tended to be smaller at E14.5, but not different at E17.5. Cardiac AT(1a)R, Bax, and IGF-1 mRNA expression was significantly increased by DEX compared to SAL at E17.5. In 12-month-old offspring DEX exposure caused an increase in basal blood pressure of similar to 3 mmHg. In addition, DEX exposed mice had a widened pulse pressure compared to SAL. DEX exposed males at 12 months had an approximate 25% reduction in nephron number compared to SAL, but no difference in cardiomyocyte number. Exposure to DEX in utero appears to adversely impact on nephrogenesis and heart growth but is not associated with a cardiomyocyte deficit in male mice in adulthood, possibly due to compensatory growth of the myocardium following the initial insult. However, the widened pulse pressure may be indicative of altered vascular compliance