National ceremonies: the pursuit of authenticity

This article asks what, if any, impact national ceremonies have on the formation of national identities. Why are some ceremonies perceived as national and persistent through time, while others fail to achieve that status? It argues that national ceremonies can only be examined as specific types of situations – performances, rather than rituals – characterized by the relationship between performers and their audiences. Following Jeffery Alexander's cultural pragmatics theory, national ceremonies are seen as successful only when a performance is perceived as authentic. A ceremony's authenticity is, at best, a quality of experience among its audience. Only when the audience is transformed into willing participants through a performance's mise-en-scène can a national ceremony be seen as a ritual-like performance. The paper will conclude that the efficacy of these performances is temporary, and that even when a performance succeeds in creating a community of shared experience, that community dissolves with the end of the performance

Rhetoric of economic nationalism

It is a 'well-known fact' - at least among economists, political economists, and in public perception - that Economic Liberalism and Economic Nationalism are antitheses. In circles of economic liberals, economic nationalism was a term used to describe 'policies they did not like ' (Helleiner, 2002: 308-9), as 'everything that did not fit in with the liberal definition of economy and development’ (Koffman, 1990). It is generally seen among these as a rise in protectionism, as neo-mercantilism (Pryke, 2012), as an idea that 'economic activities are and should be subordinate to the goals of state building and the interests of the state' (Gilpin, 1987: 31). Seen as such a set of policies, Economic Nationalism is construed as the main obstacle to the true free market economies. This paper rejects those views and follows recent approaches that rightly see economic nationalism as a form of nationalism, not of an economy. Hence, it claims that economic nationalism cannot be seen just as a set of policies, but as a variety of discourses and practices. It holds that the economy is not only about production, consumption, and distribution, but also a source of symbols, myths and memories burdened with values and norms that are seen as national. And it is these symbolic forms of economy that are the main focus of rhetoric of economic nationalism. The emergence of economic nationalism in the political discourse of Britain in not a new event, but it gained new fervour since the economic crisis of 2008 and, expectedly, since the start of the EU referendum campaign in April 2016. The new form of political ideology that was emerging not only around the so-called Brexit block often used rhetoric seemingly not compatible with the official ideology and practice of free market society. In order to examine main ideas and concepts, explanations and vocabulary of the economic nationalism in Britain this paper analyses speeches and writings of one of the main proponents of this ideology – Boris Johnson. It examines the symbolic perception of 'one’s own' economy, the perception of global and regional institutions, and the perception of 'economic Other'. It maps and compares the nationalist discourse in these speeches and writings applied to different segments of economic life, especially in employment and migration, consumption, financial sovereignty, and productivity. Finally, the analysis attempts to identify the rhetoric of national branding, appeal to national economic solidarity and economic sacrifice, use of economic scapegoatism and call for the protection of national culture and tradition. The paper concludes that the rhetoric of economic nationalism used and developed in Britain cannot be seen as incompatible with the ideology and practice of free market society, but rather as a buffer that attempts to compensate their failures

Perceptions of the nation: A sociological perspective on the case of Croatia.

This thesis examines the processes of social change that characterise the /re/formation of the nation. It argues that such processes can only be identified through the examination of the interplay between social structure, culture and agency in a specific period of time. Through the exploration of the basic assumptions of Social Realist Theory, a methodological framework is constructed for the analysis of the morphogenesis of the nation. The basic assumptions of the developed framework are tested on the case of Croatia. A historical analysis explores the processes of structural change and the formation and competition of corporate agents from the beginning of the nineteenth until the end of the twentieth century. The processes of cultural change that occurred in the same period of time are investigated through a content analysis of the writings of the dominant Croatian nationalist ideologists, which identifies the ways in which the nation in general and the Croatian nation in particular were defined. The interaction between social structure and culture in the process of nation /re/formation is explored through a content analysis of secondary school history textbooks. This analysis looks at the ways dominant ideas of nations and nationalism were incorporated into the education system from the 1880s until the 1990s and, through the medium of textbooks, were designed to influence the attitudes of primary agents. In order to investigate the interplay between structure and culture, on the one side, and primary agents, on the other, a survey was undertaken in early 2000 on a sample of the population of Zagreb. It examined the ways these agents perceive the nation in general, the Croatian nation in particular, national symbols and national enemies. These analyses show that the issues of defining the nation and explaining the process of its formation are necessarily inter-linked. The study concludes that the nation emerges with the emergence of social processes - the formation of political community, the politicisation (nationalisation) of culture, the mobilisation of a population around specific nationalist ideologies, and the population's acceptance of certain aspects of these ideologies

Characterisation of bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria and mechanisms of action on sensitive cells

Bakteriocini bakterija mlečne kiseline predstavljaju antimikrobne komponente proteinske prirode koje se primenjuju u prehrambenoj industriji (kao konzervansi), a takođe imaju potencijalnu primenu u veterini i medicini (kao alternativa ili dodatak antibiotskoj terapiji). Takođe, ove antimikrobne komponente danas se izučavaju i sa fundamentalnog aspekta, pre svega se izučava njihova struktura i mehanizam delovanja na senzitivne ćelije. Za bakteriocine klase I (nizin), pokazano je da koristi lipid II (prekursor sinteze ćelijskog zida) kao ciljni vezujući molekul za svoje delovanje. Do nedavno je definisano samo nekoliko membranskih proteina kao bakteriocinski receptori za bakteriocine klase II. Okarakterisane membranske komponente koje imaju ulogu receptora uključene su u transport šećera (komponente man-PTS sistema i maltoza-ABC transporter), takođe je nedavno okarakterisan UppP protein, receptor za dvokomponentni bakteriocin, laktokokcin G. LsbB bakteriocin je jedan od bakteriocina koje produkuje prirodni izolat Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis BGMN1-5. U cilju identifikacije receptora za LsbB bakteriocin, urađena je nasumična mutageneza Lc. lactis BGMN1-596, soja senzitivnog na LsbB, nakon čega su selekcijom na šoljama koje su sadržale LsbB bakteriocin dobijene dve kategorije mutanata (BGMN1-596R2 i BGMN1-596R3), dok su analizom stepena tolerancije polaznog soja BGMN1-596 na hemijski sintetisanom LsbB bakteriocinu dobijeni spontano rezistentni mutanti kategorije BGMN1-596SR. U cilju komplementiranja senzitivnosti mutanata na LsbB konstruisana je kozmidna biblioteka soja BGMN1-596, gde je dobijeno 148 kozmidnih klonova, od kojih je svaki nosio fragmente EcoRI parcijalo isečene hromozomalne DNK veličine oko 40 kb. Kozmidna DNK je izolovana iz svakog klona i njom su transformisani mutanti. Kozmid pAZILcos/MN2 je komplementirao LsbB rezistentne mutante sve tri kategorije, odnosno vratio senzitivnost mutanata na LsbB bakteriocin...Bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria are antimicrobial peptides used in food industry as preservatives, but also they could be used in veterinary and medicine (as alternatives to antibiotics). These antimicrobial components are also studied from a fundamental aspect, with a primarily focus on structure and mechanisms of action. The class I bacteriocin, nisin and some closely related lantibiotics have all been shown to employ lipid II, a cell wall precursor molecule, as a docking site. Until recently, only a few membrane proteins were defined as receptors for class II bacteriocins. Membrane receptors for these bacteriocins are involved in sugar transport (man-PTS system and maltose-ABC transporter). Another recently characterized protein, UppP protein was identified as receptor for two component bacteriocin, lactococcin G. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis BGMN1-5 among others produces a leaderless class II bacteriocin called LsbB. In order to identify the receptor for LsbB, MNNG was used for random mutagenesis of the LsbB sensitive strain Lc. lactis BGMN1-596. Two categories of resistant mutants were obtained (BGMN1-596R2 and BGMN1-596R3) by selection on LsbB bacteriocin contining plates, whereas spontaneously resistant mutants (BGMN1-596SR) were obtained by selection on plates containing synthesized LsbB bacteriocin. In order to complement sensitivity in mutants cosmid library of the LsbB-sensitive strain BGMN1-596 was constructed in E. coli, and 148 cosmid clones (EcoRI partially digested chromosomal DNA, each clone contain about 40 kb of genomic DNA) were obtained. Cosmid DNA was individually isolated and transferred to LsbB-resistant mutants of BGMN1-596. Cosmid pAZILcos/MN2, carrying a 40-kb insert, was found to be able to restore LsbB sensitivity in LsbB-resistant mutants. In order to identify the minimal genetic unit on the cosmid pAZILcos/MN2, which could transfer sensitivity to LsbB, pAZILcos/MN2 was digested with different restriction enzymes and subcloned into pAZIL vector..

Expression of bacteriocin LsbB is dependent on a transcription terminator

The production of LsbB, leaderless class II bacteriocin, is encoded by genes (lsbB and lmrB) located on plasmid pMN5 in Lactococcus lactis BGMN1-5. Heterologous expression of the lsbB gene using the pAZIL vector (pAZIL-lsbB) in L. lactis subsp. cremoris MG7284 resulted in a significant reduction (more than 30 times) of bacteriocin LsbB expression. Subcloning and deletion experiments with plasmid pMN5 revealed that full expression of LsbB requires the presence of a complete transcription terminator located downstream of the lsbB gene. RNA stability analysis revealed that the presence of a transcription terminator increased the RNA stability by three times and the expression of LsbB by 30 times. The study of the influence of transcription terminator on the expression of other bacteriocin genes (lcnB, for lactococcin B production) indicated that this translational terminator likely functions in a lsbB-specific manner rather than in a general manner

Expression of bacteriocin LsbB is dependent on a transcription terminator

The production of LsbB, leaderless class II bacteriocin, is encoded by genes (lsbB and lmrB) located on plasmid pMN5 in Lactococcus lactis BGMN1-5. Heterologous expression of the lsbB gene using the pAZIL vector (pAZIL-lsbB) in L. lactis subsp. cremoris MG7284 resulted in a significant reduction (more than 30 times) of bacteriocin LsbB expression. Subcloning and deletion experiments with plasmid pMN5 revealed that full expression of LsbB requires the presence of a complete transcription terminator located downstream of the lsbB gene. RNA stability analysis revealed that the presence of a transcription terminator increased the RNA stability by three times and the expression of LsbB by 30 times. The study of the influence of transcription terminator on the expression of other bacteriocin genes (lcnB, for lactococcin B production) indicated that this translational terminator likely functions in a lsbB-specific manner rather than in a general manner

Pro-social attitudes towards ethno-religious out-groups during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey experiment in five countries

To what extent were individuals willing to help others during the pandemic? This article examines pro-social attitudes among 7000 residents in England, Ireland, Germany, Serbia, and Sweden by showing a fictitious scenario of an older neighbour who needs his groceries to be picked up from a nearby supermarket. The online survey experiment follows a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial design varying the ethno-religious origin of neighbours signalled by the name (Alexander vs Mohammed), the length of their residence (<1 year, 10 years, entire life), and if groceries, or groceries and beer need to be collected. We find that those of minority origin and those who have spent less than a year in a country are disadvantaged. Overall, religiosity is associated with a lower willingness to help a neighbour

Isolation and Characterisation of Bacteriocin and Aggregation-Promoting Factor Production in Lactococcus lactis ssp lactis BGBM50 Strain

Lactococcus locus ssp. lactis BGBM50, a producer of lactococcin G and aggregation-promoting factor, was isolated from selected lactic acid bacteria taken from semi-hard cheese traditionally produced in the village Zanjic, Montenegro. Strain BGBM50 harbours a number of plasmids of different sizes. Plasmid curing experiments showed that genes for bacteriocin production are located on pBM140, a plasmid 140 kb in length. PCR analysis with primers specific for lactococcin Q and G genes gave fragment of the expected size. In addition, after plasmid curing of strain BGBM50, different derivatives with altered phenotypes were obtained, among them BGBM50-34 strain, which retained bacteriocin synthesis but had enhanced aggregation ability

Over-expressed CmbT multidrug resistance transporter improves the fitness of Lactococcus lactis

U ovom radu je izučavan uticaj povećane ekspresije cmbT gena, odgovornog za sintezu CmbT MDR transportera, na rast Lactococcus lactis. L. lactis pripada grupi bakterija mlečne kiseline (BMK) i ima veliku primenu u prehrambenoj industriji kao starter kultura. CmbT transporter je nedavno okarakterisan MDR protein soja L. lactis, koji doprinosi rezistenciji na različite toksične agense kao i na neke klinički značajne antibiotike. U ovom radu je cmbT gen višestruko eksprimiran u soju L. lactis NZ9000 dodavanjem nizina kao inducera. Povećana ekspresija cmbT gena je praćena metodom reverzne transkripcije (RT-PCR). Pokazano je da se nakon dodatka subinhibitornih koncentracija nizina u medijum za rast povećava količina sintetisane informacione RNK specifične za cmbT gen. Rast soja L. lactis NZ9000/pCT50, u kome je višestruko eksprimiran cmbT gen i L. lactis NZ9000 kontrolnog soja praćen je u bogatom i hemijski definisanom medijumu u prisustvu samo metionina (0.084 mM) ili kombinacije metionina i cisteina (8.4 mM i 8.2 mM). Praćene su krive rasta oba soja, a nakon izračunavanja odgovarajućih vremena generacije, rezultati su pokazali da L. lactis NZ9000/pCT50, brže raste u odnosu na kontrolni soj. Uočena razlika je najverovatnije posledica aktivnosti CmbT transportera koji doprinosi izbacivanju toksičnih agenasa iz ćelije i na taj način poboljšava adaptivne sposobnosti bakterije koja ga eksprimira i daje joj selektivnu prednost.The influence of the over-expression of CmbT multidrug resistance transporter on the growth rate of Lactococcus lactis NZ9000 was studied. L. lactis is a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) widely used as a starter culture in dairy industry. Recently characterized CmbT MDR transporter in L. lactis confers resistance to a wide variety of toxic compounds as well as to some clinically relevant antibiotics. In this study, the cmbT gene was over-expressed in the strain L. lactis NZ9000 in the presence of nisin inducer. Over-expression of the cmbT gene in L. lactis NZ9000 was followed by RT-PCR. The obtained results showed that the cmbT gene was successfully over-expressed by addition of sub-inhibitory amounts of nisin. Growth curves of L. lactis NZ9000/pCT50 over-expressing the cmbT gene and L. lactis NZ9000 control strain were followed in the rich medium as well as in the chemically defined medium in the presence solely of methionine (0.084 mM) or mix of methionine and cysteine (8.4 mM and 8.2 mM, respectively). Resulting doubling times revealed that L. lactis NZ9000/pCT50 had higher growth rate comparing to the control strain. This could be a consequence of the CmbT efflux activity, which improves the fitness of the host bacterium through the elimination of toxic compounds from the cell

Isolation and Characterisation of Bacteriocin and Aggregation-Promoting Factor Production in Lactococcus lactis ssp lactis BGBM50 Strain

Lactococcus locus ssp. lactis BGBM50, a producer of lactococcin G and aggregation-promoting factor, was isolated from selected lactic acid bacteria taken from semi-hard cheese traditionally produced in the village Zanjic, Montenegro. Strain BGBM50 harbours a number of plasmids of different sizes. Plasmid curing experiments showed that genes for bacteriocin production are located on pBM140, a plasmid 140 kb in length. PCR analysis with primers specific for lactococcin Q and G genes gave fragment of the expected size. In addition, after plasmid curing of strain BGBM50, different derivatives with altered phenotypes were obtained, among them BGBM50-34 strain, which retained bacteriocin synthesis but had enhanced aggregation ability