bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nuclear RNA foci fromC9ORF72expansion mutation form paraspeckle-like bodies
Authors: Česnik Ana Bajc , Darovic Simona , Mihevc Sonja Prpar , Štalekar Maja , Malnar Mirjana , Motaln Helena , Lee Youn-Bok , Mazej Julija , Pohleven Jure , Grosch Markus , Modic Miha , Fonovič Marko , Turk Boris , Drukker Micha , Shaw Christopher E. , Rogelj Boris
Published: February 2019

The GGGGCC (G4C2) repeat expansion mutation in C9ORF72 gene is the most common genetic cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Transcription of the repeat and formation of nuclear RNA foci, which sequester specific RNA-binding proteins is one of the possible pathological mechanisms. Here, we show that (G4C2)n repeat RNA predominantly associates with essential paraspeckle proteins SFPQ, NONO, RBM14, FUS and hnRNPH and co-localizes with known paraspeckle-associated RNA hLinc-p21. As formation of paraspeckles in motor neurons has been associated with early phases of ALS, we investigated the extent of similarity between paraspeckles and (G4C2)n RNA foci. Overexpression of (G4C2)72 RNA results in their increased number and co-localization with SFPQ-stained nuclear bodies. These paraspeckle-like (G4C2)72 RNA foci form independently of the known paraspeckle scaffold, the long non-coding RNA NEAT1. Moreover, the knockdown of SFPQ protein in C9ORF72 expansion mutation positive fibroblasts significantly reduces the number of (G4C2)n RNA foci. In conclusion, (G4C2)n RNA foci have characteristics of paraspeckles, which suggests that both RNA foci and paraspeckles play role in FTD and ALS and implies approaches for regulation of their formation.
Phosphorylation of the Bruchpilot N-terminus in Drosophila unlocks axonal transport of active zone building blocks
Authors: Driller Jan H. , Lützkendorf Janine , Depner Harald , Siebert Matthias , Kuropka Benno , Weise Christoph , Piao Chengji , Petzoldt Astrid G. , Lehmann Martin , Stelzl Ulrich , Zahedi René , Sickmann Albert , Freund Christian , Sigrist Stephan J. , Wahl Markus C.
Published: February 2019

Protein scaffolds at presynaptic active zone membranes control information transfer at synapses. For scaffold biogenesis and maintenance, scaffold components must be safely transported along axons. A spectrum of kinases has been suggested to control transport of scaffold components, but direct kinase–substrate relationships and operational principles steering phosphorylation-dependent active zone protein transport are presently unknown. Here, we show that extensive phosphorylation of a 150-residue unstructured region at the N-terminus of the highly elongated Bruchpilot (BRP) active zone protein is crucial for ordered active zone precursor transport in Drosophila. Point mutations that block SRPK79D kinase-mediated phosphorylation of the BRP N-terminus interfered with axonal transport, leading to BRP-positive axonal aggregates that also contain additional active zone scaffold proteins. Axonal aggregates formed only in the presence of non-phosphorylatable BRP isoforms containing the SRPK79D-targeted N-terminal stretch. We assume that specific active zone proteins are pre-assembled in transport packages and are thus co-transported as functional scaffold building blocks. Our results suggest that transient post-translational modification of a discrete unstructured domain of the master scaffold component BRP blocks oligomerization of these building blocks during their long-range transport.
Programmable RNA detection with a fluorescent RNA aptamer using optimized three-way junction formation
Authors: Furuhata Yuichi , Kobayashi Mizuki , Maruyama Ryo , Sato Yusuke , Makino Kurumi , Michiue Tatsuo , Yui Hiroharu , Nishizawa Seiichi , Yoshimoto Keitaro
Published: February 2019

RNAs play essential roles in various cellular processes and can be used as biomarkers. Hence, it is important to detect endogenous RNA for understanding diverse cellular functions and diagnosing diseases. To construct a low-cost and easy-to-use RNA detection probe, a chemically unmodified RNA aptamer that binds to a pro-fluorophore to increase its fluorescence is desirable. Here, we focused on Broccoli, a superior variant of Spinach, which is a well-known fluorescent RNA aptamer that binds to DFHBI-1T and emits green fluorescence. We experimentally characterized Broccoli and predicted that it forms a G-quadruplex–based DFHBI-1T recognition region sandwiched between two stems. Based on this, we designed a Broccoli-based RNA detection probe (BRD probe) composed of a sequence of destabilized Broccoli fused with complementary sequences against target RNA. The resulting probe with its target RNA formed a stable three-way junction, named the MT2 three-way junction, which contributed to efficient refolding of the Broccoli structure and allowed for programmable RNA detection with high signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity. Interestingly, the MT2 three-way junction also could be applied to probe construction of a truncated form of Spinach (Baby Spinach). The BRD and Baby Spinach–based RNA detection probes (BSRD probe) exhibited up to 48- and 140-fold fluorescence enhancements in the presence of their target RNAs and detected small amounts of target RNA that were as low as 160 and 5 nM, respectively. Thus, we experimentally characterized the higher order structure of Broccoli and developed structure-switching aptamer probes for highly sensitive, programmable, RNA detection using an MT2 three-way junction.
Quality assessment of scientific and pedagogical research
Authors: Полонский Валентин , Polonskiy Valentin
Published: February 2019

The manual presents a conceptual framework for assessing the quality of scientific and pedagogical research, substantiates the choice of criteria and methods for determining novelty, relevance, theoretical and practical significance of development from uniform methodological positions, sets out general scientific, typical and concrete scientific characteristics of qualitative indicators of fundamental, applied scientific and pedagogical research and development and evaluation procedures. Complies with the requirements of the federal state educational standard of higher education of the last generation. The book is written for bachelors, masters, graduate students, researchers and anyone interested in assessing the quality and effectiveness of scientific and pedagogical research.
Dermatology and Venereology
Authors: Притуло Ольга , Pritulo Ol'ga , Винцерская Галина , Vincerskaya Galina , Прохоров Дмитрий , Prohorov Dmitriy , Олисова Ольга , Olisova Ol'ga , Лепехова Анфиса , Lepehova Anfisa
Published: February 2019

The tutorial presents data on the history of dermatovenerology, modern concepts of anatomy, physiology, pathology of the skin and its appendages. Considerable attention is paid to practical skills that a student must master in studying the course of dermatology and venereology. The main clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, prevention and treatment of the most important skin diseases and sexually transmitted diseases are described. Separate sections are devoted to the writing of the medical history and questions for independent extracurricular work of students. The manual is intended for 4th year students enrolled in the specialties "General Medicine", "Pediatrics" and "Dentistry" of higher medical schools of III – IV accreditation levels. The content corresponds to the program discipline "Dermatovenereology."
Fundamentals of geotechnics in the cryolithozone
Authors: Хрусталев Лев , Hrustalev Lev
Published: February 2019

The means of controlling the stability of engineering structures in the permafrost regions, methods of modification for frozen, thawing and unfrozen soils and ways of site preparation are discussed.
Evaluation methods of thermal and mechanical interaction between structures and soils of bases are presented. The scientific basis of optimizing engineering choices on the base of geotechnical systems reliability and cost optimization are given.
Interaction of buildings and structures are analyzed.
“Orders Behind the Visible” – Puritan Elements in the Polish Translation of "Gravity’s Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon
Authors: Barciński Łukasz
Published: February 2019

The article discusses contemporary American writer Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, a leading representative of postmodernism in literature. The study contains an examination of possible references to Puritanism in his novel, Gravity’s Rainbow. Religious motifs seem to play a crucial role in the interpretation of Pynchon’s work where the past is combined with the present and the Puritan religious doctrine merges with a paranoid approach to reading. Then, fragments from Gravity’s Rainbow in Polish translation are analyzed in terms of preserving the source text’s productive potential regarding the most important Puritan themes in the novel, e.g. animal symbolism and the doctrine of Preterition. Finally, the study offers conclusions related to the extent to which Puritan elements are recreated in the target text, highlighting the most considerable losses and gains in the translation process.
The Bitcoin – Democratic Money in a Neoliberal Economy
Authors: Trzcionka Magdalena
Published: February 2019

This article examines the bitcoin, at present the most popular cryptocurrency. The bitcoin grew on the major pillars of the neoliberal market economy, such as liberalization, deregulation and privatization. But in the end, it turned out to be a cure for the dysfunctions of the financial system, which was based on neoliberal assumptions. The difficulty in capturing the character and status of the bitcoin still makes it elusive for the existing rules of law. Some governments observe the evolution of the bitcoin market with interest; others try to work against it. All of this makes the bitcoin an intriguing subject for research.The aim of this article is to present the original assumptions of the bitcoin system; trace the reactions to the bitcoin’s emergence in virtual reality, and next on the very real financial market; and analyze the reinterpretation of the idea that underlies the creation of the cryptocurrency. This article attempts to assess the bitcoin’s potential of achieving a seemingly impregnable position on the global financial market.
MEMES EM SALA DE AULA: POSSIBILIDADES PARA A LEITURA DAS MÚLTIPLAS SEMIOSES
Authors: Ferreira Helena Maria , Villarta-Neder Marco Antônio , Coe Geanne Dos Santos Cabral
Published: February 2019

Com a disseminação das TDIC (Tecnologia digital de informação e comunicação), houve uma diversificação dos recursos semióticos para a organização dos textos que circulam na sociedade e, por consequência, a democratização de acesso a espaços de interação. Assim, considerando a configuração dos textos que exploram diversas linguagens simultaneamente, designou-se o seguinte problema: Que contribuições o gênero meme pode oferecer para a ampliação da proficiência de leitura e produção de textos por parte de alunos de Ensino Médio? Este artigo tem por objetivo socializar os resultados de uma pesquisa que analisou as potencialidades formativas advindas do trabalho com memes em sala de aula. A partir do trabalho empreendido, constatou-se que o gênero meme apresenta características substanciais para se pensar as multissemioses no ensino de língua portuguesa na escola e para a ressignificação de metodologias para a ampliação de habilidades relacionadas aos multiletramentos relacionados ao uso das diferentes linguagens. Dessa forma, é importante destacar que os memes se configuram como mecanismos que podem propiciar uma ressignificação do trabalho com textos, uma vez que as condições de produção podem ser revisitadas.
Genetic characterization of S1 gene of infectious bronchitis virus isolated from commercial poultry flocks in West Java, Indonesia
Authors: Setiawaty Rahajeng , Soejoedono Retno Damajanti , Poetri Okti Nadia
Published: February 2019

Background and Aim: Infectious bronchitis (IB) is still a major problem among poultry industry in Indonesia, IB outbreaks continue to happen even in vaccinated flocks. The emergence of new IB virus (IBV) variants might lead to mismatching between vaccine virus strain and circulating virus strain, this may be a reason of vaccination failure. Information about circulating IBV in a region is important to decide which IB vaccine should be used. However, information about recent IBV strains which circulated in Indonesia and their genetic characters were limited; therefore, the aim of our research was to determine the genetic characterization of S1 gene of IBV isolated from commercial poultry flocks in West Java, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: A total of 47 viral isolate samples collected from chickens with clinical sign and reduced in egg production. Six IB live vaccines were used as control, the reference vaccines represent IBV strains including H120, H52, 4/91, CR88, 233A, and 1-96. Primers XCe2+ and XCe2- were used to amplify S1 gene partially. Results: Twenty-six of 47 samples showed positive result to S1 gene of IBV by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Three IBV isolates, Indonesia/K233A31/18, Indonesia/K4A9/17, and Indonesia/P3/17, were selected for nucleotide sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of 352 nucleotides of the partial S1 gene shows that isolates Indonesia/K4A9/17 and Indonesia/K233A31/18 have 100% homology with IBV vaccine strain 4/91, while isolate Indonesia/P3/17 has 100% homology with IBV vaccine strain 233A. Conclusion: Our result indicates that at least two IBV strains were circulating among poultry in West Java, Indonesia, which is IBV close to vaccine strain 4/91 and 233A. The present study provides updates on the circulating IBV in commercial poultry flocks in West Java, Indonesia, and might use as guidance on selecting a proper IB vaccine strain to improve IB vaccination efficacy in certain region.
Sprawozdanie z II Konferencji Naukowej „Działalność oficyn wydawniczych na rzecz edukacji, szkolnictwa i oświaty w XIX i XX wieku”
Authors: Bołdyrew Aneta
Published: February 2019

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Protein misfolding and aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases: a review of pathogeneses, novel detection strategies, and potential therapeutics
Authors: Gandhi Jason , Antonelli Anthony C. , Afridi Adil , Vatsia Sohrab , Joshi Gunjan , Romanov Victor , Murray Ian V.J. , Khan Sardar Ali
Published: February 2019

Protein folding is a complex, multisystem process characterized by heavy molecular and cellular footprints. Chaperone machinery enables proper protein folding and stable conformation. Other pathways concomitant with the protein folding process include transcription, translation, post-translational modifications, degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and autophagy. As such, the folding process can go awry in several different ways. The pathogenic basis behind most neurodegenerative diseases is that the disruption of protein homeostasis (i.e. proteostasis) at any level will eventually lead to protein misfolding. Misfolded proteins often aggregate and accumulate to trigger neurotoxicity through cellular stress pathways and consequently cause neurodegenerative diseases. The manifestation of a disease is usually dependent on the specific brain region that the neurotoxicity affects. Neurodegenerative diseases are age-associated, and their incidence is expected to rise as humans continue to live longer and pursue a greater life expectancy. We presently review the sequelae of protein misfolding and aggregation, as well as the role of these phenomena in several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, and spinocerebellar ataxia. Strategies for treatment and therapy are also conferred with respect to impairing, inhibiting, or reversing protein misfolding.
Larger Auditory Cortical Area and Broader Frequency Tuning Underlie Absolute Pitch
Authors: McKetton Larissa , DeSimone Kevin , Schneider Keith A.
Published: February 2019

Absolute pitch (AP), the ability of some musicians to precisely identify and name musical tones in isolation, is associated with a number of gross morphological changes in the brain, but the fundamental neural mechanisms underlying this ability have not been clear. We presented a series of logarithmic frequency sweeps to age- and sex-matched groups of musicians with or without AP and controls without musical training. We used fMRI and population receptive field (pRF) modeling to measure the responses in the auditory cortex in 61 human subjects. The tuning response of each fMRI voxel was characterized as Gaussian, with independent center frequency and bandwidth parameters. We identified three distinct tonotopic maps, corresponding to primary (A1), rostral (R), and rostral-temporal (RT) regions of auditory cortex. We initially hypothesized that AP abilities might manifest in sharper tuning in the auditory cortex. However, we observed that AP subjects had larger cortical area, with the increased area primarily devoted to broader frequency tuning. We observed anatomically that A1, R and RT were significantly larger in AP musicians than in non-AP musicians or control subjects, which did not differ significantly from each other. The increased cortical area in AP in areas A1 and R were primarily low frequency and broadly tuned, whereas the distribution of responses in area RT did not differ significantly. We conclude that AP abilities are associated with increased early auditory cortical area devoted to broad-frequency tuning and likely exploit increased ensemble encoding.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAbsolute pitch (AP), the ability of some musicians to precisely identify and name musical tones in isolation, is associated with a number of gross morphological changes in the brain, but the fundamental neural mechanisms have not been clear. Our study shows that AP musicians have significantly larger volume in early auditory cortex than non-AP musicians and non-musician controls and that this increased volume is primarily devoted to broad-frequency tuning. We conclude that AP musicians are likely able to exploit increased ensemble representations to encode and identify frequency.
Punina Nakupina uz najnoviju zbirku pjesama Luka Paljetka
Authors: Maroević Tonko
Published: February 2019

U radu se obrađuje pjesnička zbirka Nakupine u kontekstu cjeline Paljetkova pjesništva. Osobit je naglasak stavljen na različite novosti koje u odnosu na prethodno pjesništvo donosi nova Paljetkova zbirka.
Luko s ovoga i onoga svijeta
Authors: Bešlić Milan
Published: February 2019

U tekstu se iznosi teza da je Paljetkova impresivna produkcija u gotovo svim književnim vrstama primarno obilježena njegovim pjesništvom te da je ono i najznačajnija dionica koja je ujedno i golem prinos suvremenomu hrvatskom pjesništvu. Također, nastoji se ukazati i na činjenicu da je to pjesništvo i samoniklo, to jest izvornoga pjesničkoga glasa, kao i goleme leksičke kulture i zavidnoga pjesničkoga umijeća u rimovanim i nerimovanim stihovima. Isto tako, podvlači se i činjenica da je Paljetkovo pjesništvo otvorilo i posve novi poetski prostor u suvremenoj hrvatskoj književnosti snažno obilježen autorskim značajkama. Ovdje se ukazuje i na jednu od temeljnih odrednica Paljetkova pjesništva, naime, da je ono stvaralački proces otvoren bezbrojnim temama i neiscrpnoj energiji u proizvodnji pjesme.
Putopisi Josipa Modrića o Crnoj gori
Authors: Popović Olivera
Published: February 2019

Rad analizira putopisne napise o Crnoj Gori Zadranina Josipa (Joze) Modrića, novinara i publicista, bečkog studenta, koji se potpisivao i kao Giuseppe Modrich i Modric, a pisao je i objavljivao svoje radove na talijanskom jeziku. Istraženi su povodi njegovih dviju posjeta Crnoj Gori 1892. i 1902. kao i njegova imagološka slika te zemlje i njenih stanovnika, Crnogoraca, koja se dijelom poklapa, a dijelom odstupa od uvriježene, stereotipne slike o njima u europskim putopisnim zapisima s konca 19. i početkom 20. stoljeća. U svojim je putopisima Josip Modrić dao znatan doprinos formiranju, usvajanju i promjeni diskurzivne prakse o kraljevini Crnoj Gori toga vremena, u vremenu kad se, zbog specifičnih povijesnih okolnosti vezanih za dinastije Savoia i Petrović, bilježi znatan porast interesa talijanske javnosti za ovu prekojadransku zemlju.
Parčić i Kušar u stoljećima hrvatske književnosti
Authors: Baričević Sanja
Published: February 2019

Dragutin Antun Parčić, Izabrani radovi i pisma – Marcel Kušar, Izabrani radovi i pisma, Zagreb: Matica hrvatska, 2017.
Sentence Marina Držića
Authors: Vigato Teodora
Published: February 2019

Luko Paljetak, Sentence Marina Držića, Dubrovnik: Društvo dubrovačkih pisaca, 2017.
Association between DNA methylation profile and malignancy in follicular-patterned thyroid neoplasms
Authors: Affinito Ornella , Salerno Paolo , D’Alessio Alfonso , Cuomo Mariella , Florio Ermanno , Carlomagno Francesca , Proietti Agnese , Giannini Riccardo , Basolo Fulvio , Chiariotti Lorenzo , Cocozza Sergio , Santoro Massimo
Published: February 2019

Molecular differentiation between benign (follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA)) and malignant (follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC)) thyroid neoplasms is challenging. Here, we explored the genome-wide DNA methylation profile of FTA (n.10) and FTC (n.11) compared to normal thyroid (NT) (n.7) tissues. FTC featured 3564 differentially methylated CpGs (DMCpG), most (84%) of them hypermethylated, with respect to normal controls. At the principal component analysis (PCA), the methylation profile of FTA occupied an intermediate position between FTC and normal tissue. A large fraction (n. 2385) of FTC-associated DMCpG was related (intragenic or within 1500 bp from the transcription start site) to annotated genes (n. 1786). FTC-hypermethylated genes were enriched for targets of the Polycomb transcriptional repressor complex and the specific histone H3 marks (H3K4me2/me3-H3K27me3) found in chromatin domains known as ‘bivalent’. Transcriptome profiling by RNAseq showed that 7.9% of the DMCpGs-associated genes were differentially expressed in FTC compared to NT, suggesting that altered DNA methylation may contribute to their altered expression. Overall, this study suggests that perturbed DNA methylation, in particular hypermethylation, is a component of the molecular mechanisms leading to the formation of FTC and that DNA methylation profiling may help differentiating FTCs from their benign counterpart.
The role and possible mechanism of lncRNA AC092159.2 in modulating adipocyte differentiation
Authors: Yuan Yingdi , Cao Xinguo , Hu Jiaojiao , Li Jingyun , Shen Dan , You Lianghui , Cui Xianwei , Wang Xing , Zhou Yahui , Gao Yao , Zhu Lijun , Xu Pengfei , Ji Chenbo , Guo Xirong , Wen Juan
Published: February 2019

Obesity is a major risk factor for metabolic diseases, while adipocyte differentiation is closely related to obesity occurrence. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a unique class of transcripts in regulation of various biological processes. Using lncRNA microarray, we found lncRNA AC092159.2 was highly expressed in differentiated HPA-v and located ~247 bp upstream of the TMEM18, which was associated with BMI and obesity. We aimed to explore the role of AC092159.2 in adipogenesis and the underlying mechanisms. The effects of AC092159.2 gain- and loss-of-function on HPA-v adipogenesis were determined with lentivirus and siRNA-mediated cell transduction, respectively. Lipid accumulation was evaluated by oil red O staining; the expression of AC092159.2, TMEM18 and several adipogenesis makers in HPA-v were analyzed by qPCR/Western blot. We found that the expression of AC092159.2 gradually increased during HPA-v differentiation, and its expression in omental adipose tissue was positively related with BMI among 48 human subjects. Overexpression of AC092159.2 promoted adipocytes differentiation while knockdown of it led to an adipogenic defect. Moreover, the expression of AC092159.2 and TMEM18 were positively correlated during adipogenic differentiation. AC092159.2 overexpression boosted TMEM18 expression while AC092159.2 knockdown restrained TMEM18 expression. Further rescue experiments showed that TMEM18 knockdown partially restrained adipogenic differentiation in AC092159.2 overexpressed HPA-v and adipogenic defect caused by AC092159.2 knockdown could be rescued by TMEM18 overexpression. Luciferase reporter assays revealed that AC092159.2 had a transcriptional activation effect on TMEM18. We concluded that lncRNA AC092159.2 promoted human adipocytes differentiation possibly by regulating TMEM18.
Nikolas Standaert, Ad Dudink (eds). Forgive Us Our Sins. Confession in Late Ming and Early Qing China
Authors: Poškaitė Loreta
Published: February 2019

Vilnius University
Encounter with China: Challenging one’s own presuppositions. Interview with Henry Rosemont, Jr.
Authors: Silius Vytis
Published: February 2019

Vilnius UniversityDuring your stay in Vilnius, I have heard that you have so many invitations to give lectures and deliver speeches at conferences in the United States and abroad that you have to decline many of those. What made you to accept the invitation from the Centre of Oriental Studies at Vilnius University? And how do you feel about your choice to come here now, as your visit is slowly coming to an end? [...]
Talent (cai) as an object of philosophical and anthropological investigation in traditional China
Authors: Poškaitė Loreta
Published: February 2019

Vilnius UniversityThis article deals with the treatment of human talent (cai 才) in pre-imperial and early imperial China and concentrates on its relationship with other Chinese philosophical and anthropological concepts and the general cultural context. On the one hand, it analyses the moral meaning of talent, discussing its relationship with the concept of xian 贤 ( the worthy) in Classical Confucianism, and on the other hand it analyses its relationship with the concept of de 德 (virtue) as it was treated from Classical Confucianism and Legalism to the Six Dynasties. The latter analysis is based mainly on books by Xu Gan Zhong lun 中论 (Balanced Discources) and Liu Shao Renwuzhi 人物志 (The Study of Human Abilities), paying special attention to the infiltration of the Legalist understanding of cai into those books. The second problem discussed here is the relationship of cai and human nature (xing). The author argues that the discussions concerning human resources or talent in pre-imperial and early imperial China were inseparable from the anthropological and philosophical thinking on human nature and from the resolution of political problems. The understanding of human resources in China had from the very beginning a strong motivation for applicability in the political sphere, and this was a contribution not only of Confucian thinkers, but also by the schools of Legalists, Logicians (or School of Names), and Dialecticians (or School of Yin-yang). This could be the reason why the Chinese avoided the mystification, essentialisation and romanticisation of human talent, as happened in Western culture (especially with the titanism of the Renaissance and beyond).
The ‘body politic’ in ancient China
Authors: Huang Chun-chieh
Published: February 2019

The ‘body politic’ occupies the core position in traditional Chinese political thinking. This is strongly supported by the fact that, for most ancient Chinese philosophers, self-cultivation was taken as the starting point of a programmatic way leading to the management of the world. The aim of this essay is to analyze the meaning and significance of the prevailing ‘body politic’ of ancient China.In section two, the Chinese ‘body politic’ is placed within a comparative frame with the ideas of Plato (428–347 BCE) and Hobbes (1588–1679). It is argued that the ‘body politic’ in China is far from an abstract or theoretical discourse; the state was epistemologically taken as an extension of the human body, which is integral and organic in itself. Thus the body served as a metaphor or symbol to explain the organization and functionality of the state.Section three details the ‘body politic’ in three ways. First, due to the comparability between the state and the body, the ruling of the state, as that of the body, should also commence with a kind of inside-out, morality-concerned self-cultivation. Second, there is a complicated interdependency between state functions, which are similar to those of the body. Third, if there is a center of dominancy gathered through the interactive process of the body, then a kind of political autocracy can thus be extrapolated in by the ‘body politic’.The conclusion points out that, in ancient Chinese body-thinking, the mind-heart had its socio-political dimensions, and the ‘body’ is no less than a psychosomatic one. Since the unification of China in 221 BCE, Confucianism had gradually gained the political vantage and become the imperial ideology. However, the ancient ideal of the ‘Confucianization of politics’ was thus transformed to the reality of the ‘politicization of Confucianism’.
Patrick Curry, Angela Voss (eds). Seeing with Different Eyes. Essays in Astrology and Divination
Authors: Beinorius Audrius
Published: February 2019

Vilnius University
Vedic nouns of the rétas- ‘stream; semen’ type and several related problems of Indo-European morphology
Authors: Vijūnas Aurelijus
Published: February 2019

National Kaohsiung Normal UniversityThe present article is dedicated to the historical analysis of the formant -t- appearing in the Sanskrit neuter s-stem nouns srótas- ‘stream’, rétas- ‘stream; (male) semen’, and †vétas- ‘reed; stick’, as well as the structure and derivation of these nouns. Already Hermann Hirt already proposed that the formant -t- in these nouns was related to the Indo-European t-stems, but alternative interpretations have been put forward as well. Among the existing theories regarding the origin of the formant -t- in these s-stems, Hirt’s theory appears to be the most plausible. A different interpretation regarding the structure and development of their root is proposed in this article, however. Hirt claimed that the normal grade of the root in these nouns was inherited from Indo-European, but an analysis of data suggests that late Indo-European t-stems built to roots of this structure must have had zero grade. The attested full grade must have been introduced only when the reformed roots *srut-, *rit- and *wit- (← **R-t-) were secondarily re-used to build new s-stem nouns.
On the social and religious status of an Indian astrologer at the royal court
Authors: Beinorius Audrius
Published: February 2019

Vilnius UniversityThe object of this paper is to investigate the social and religious status of an astrologer at the royal court and his relation to royal priests in medieval Indian society. This paper is confined to the social and religious role of an astrologer as it was perceived by members of society, both practicing astrologers and non-astrologers. By consulting different primary sources (i.e., jyotiḥśāstras, dharmaśāstras, purāṇas and epics), one can have some appreciation of various issues regarding, for example, the conditions in which royal astrologers operated, their duties and royal supporters, the salaries they obtained, and many other similar matters of extreme importance for the location of the astrologer within the larger social panorama. The conclusion is made that in India by the Epic times, at least, the astrologer had become one of the six principal officials of the royal court and gradually assumed some of the duties of the royal priest (purohita). In India even the position of royal astrologer had its sanction in myth. Astrology, therefore, was considered divine in origin as well as in its subject matter. The court astrologer was considered indispensible to the king and to the welfare of the kingdom. The astrologer had enormous power and responsibility at the royal court and at every level of society. The astrologer was fulfilling his role as an institutional authority by providing knowledge and understanding to the royal court and society. Indian astrologers had to depend on a patronage system for their sustenance, and they seem to have exploited that system with some success.
Introducing the interpretation of medieval Hindī texts into the Hindī curriculum: An alternative approach
Authors: Strnad Jaroslav
Published: February 2019

Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of SciencesThe author has been trying, for several years now, to apply and further expand the method of detailed morphological analysis of Old Hindī texts first developed by the Czech Indologist Vladimir Miltner in his Old Hindī Reader and to test it in the courses given at the Institute of Indology at Charles University, Prague. This paper demonstrates the possibilities this still little used descriptive approach offers to students who have basic knowledge of Modern Standard Hindī and wish to gain an insight into the grammatical structure of Old Hindī literary dialects. Careful use of this method helps highlight, among other things, the high degree of homonymy of grammatical morphemes and the consequent frequent ambiguity of meaning. A continuous text segmented into basic morphological units can be processed by a concordancing software and further analysed with the help of methods developed in the field of corpus linguistics. An appendix to the paper shows the method as applied to the analysis of one short pad (poem) of a medieval Hindī poet, Sant Kabīr.The use of this method in classes helps the students read and interpret a greater quantity of texts in a relatively short time. This can serve as an incentive on the one hand to work with the literary material in the source language and on the other to pay closer attention to distinctive features of written and oral traditions in their wider social contexts.
Andrzej Rudomina—unforgettable Lithuanian Jesuit missionary scholar: from Vilnius University to China
Authors: Konior Jan
Published: February 2019

Jesuit University of Philosophy and Education ‘Ignatianum’ This paper explores one of great Lithuanian Jesuit missionaries to China—Andrzej Rudomina (Lith. Andrius Rudamina, Chin. Lu an de) 盧安德 (1595–1631)—also providing a look at the cultural and spiritual background of Lithuania and Poland in which he was brought up. It also shows the situation of the Society of Jesus in the 16th and 17th centuries, with particular focus on the Lithuanian–Polish–Chinese context and connection. Andrzej Rudomina was the first Lithuanian Jesuit to set foot behind the Great Wall of China in the 17th century. In 1625 he reached Goa, and then Macau, before studying Chinese literature in Nankeen Province. There he began to immerse himself in the complexities of Chinese customs. The natives called him Lu an de (the Chinese name of Andrzej Rudomina). He reports participating in the Kating Conference (1627), at which was sought the Chinese equivalent for the name of the Lord our God, Tian Zhu 天主. He was very much valued by his Jesuit brothers and by the Chinese. He died prematurely at the age of 35 of tuberculosis. This article will explore the life of Rudomina. We will try to understand this man of holiness, mobility and disponibility. He was a man on mission, but what was nature of the mission and who was it for? What does he have to tell us today in the 21st century? What kind of sign is he for us today?
Bronisław Piłsudski’s heritage and Lithuania
Authors: Majewicz Alfred F.
Published: February 2019

Adam Mickiewicz University The paper aims at introducing the results of research on the cultures and languages of the aboriginal peoples of the island of Sakhalin, the Lower Amur Region (Priamurye), and northern Japan (Ainu, Nivhgu, Uilta, Ulcha, and Nanai) conducted at the turn of the 19th and 20th century by Polish political exile Bronisław (Ginet) Piłsudski (1866–1918) and at presenting his ties with Lithuania: he used to introduce himself as Samogitian and Lithuanian (besides Polish―here the so-called nested ethnic identity is involved) and especially towards the end of his life emphasised this identity by inserting the name of his Lithuanian ancestors before his Polish family name. His seemingly long-forgotten legacy is now brought back to the attention of specialists with the appearance of the consecutive volumes of his Collected Works. The argumentation and conclusion of this Vilnius University anniversary article is that Piłsudski belongs to the same degree to the history of Oriental studies in both Lithuania and Poland and that both countries involved can only be proud of such a figure in the annals of their intellectual heritage.
The authority of the Buddha: The limits of knowledge in medieval Indian Buddhist epistemology
Authors: Payne Richard
Published: February 2019

Institute of Buddhist Studies at the Graduate Theological UnionThe Indian religious traditions, including Buddhism, are generally characterised by an understanding of the problematic character of the human condition as ignorance (avidya) instead of sin, as in Christianity.1 The centrality of ignorance in defining the problematic character of the human condition creates a dramatically different religious dynamic—a religious dynamic that is fundamentally concerned with epistemological issues rather than with moral ones. In Indian discussions of the limits of religious knowledge, the shared intellectual framework was the idea of means of valid knowledge (pramāṇa). While other religio-philosophic traditions in India accepted testimony (śabda) as an autonomous (i.e., irreducible) means of valid knowledge, Buddhist epistemologists rejected it. Having rejected the idea that testimony is an autonomous means of valid knowledge (śabdapramāṇa), an alternative explanation for the authority of the Buddha had to be created. Against this background of epistemological discussion, particular attention is given here to Dharmakīrti’s views on the authority of the Buddha as a means of valid knowledge regarding the ground of human existence, the path of religious practice, and the goal of awakening.
Japan as fashion: Contemporary reflections on being fashionable
Authors: Onohara Noriko
Published: February 2019

University of HyogoThis paper examines how Japanese contemporary fashion has been accepted globally, especially in the case of London. The popularity of Japanese fashion in the West started in the 19th century with kimono-style dressing gowns, but for the true design influence known as Japan-shock, we had to wait for the appearance of the avantgarde Japanese fashion designers who participated in the Paris collection in the 1970s and 1980s. A new keyword for ‘fashionable Japan’ today is kawaii, the notion of cute. This is intimately linked to street fashion and subculture and has been established and received as part of ‘cool Japan’ through the worldwide popularity of Japanese manga and anime. Moreover, it could be said that Japan is fashionable and the Japanese are thought of as fashionable people, but who is described as fashionable, and by whom? To reflect upon this statement, ‘the Japanese are fashionable’, as ideology, picking up the globally popular Japanese street fashion magazine FRUiTS, I would like to investigate the double meaning of fashion in the present and also what it means to be fashionable.
The haunted culture—Shamanic heroes in the cultural content industry of South Korea
Authors: Seo Jinseok
Published: February 2019

Vytautas Magnus UniversityKorea, with insufficient natural resources and a limited consumer market, began to take notice of the cultural content industry in the 21st century. This means that the cultivation of this industry has not taken place for a long time compared to Japan, the USA or Hong Kong. Yet Korea has obtained an astonishing outcome in a short time. The popular culture of South Korea, with the appellation of hallyu, boasted of an enormous strength initially in the Asian market and subsequently stretched to markets in other countries, too. Seeing that Korean cultural archetypes do not play a successful role in the cultural content business of Korea in general, the position of shamanism is truly trivial among the others. I would like to analyse and discuss the meaning, function and potential of Korean shamanism in the field of the Korean cultural content industry.
Comparative embryonic development of nematodes of the genus Тrichuris (Nematoda, Trichuridae) obtained from sheep (Ovis aries)
Authors: Melnychuk V. V. , Berezovsky А. V.
Published: February 2019

Biological specifics of Trichuris оvis Abildgaard, 1795 and T. globulosa Linstow, 1901 parasitizing domestic sheep were analyzed enhancing the species identification of these nematode species. The embryonic development of nematodes was timed, survival of embryonic stages was determined taking into account their morphological and metric specifics in laboratory culture. Trichuris eggs were isolated from gonads of adult female nematodes collected from caeca of dissected sheep. Then the eggs were cultured at optimal temperature to the formation of eggs with mobile larvae. Six morphologically distinct stages of embryogenesis were established in T. оvis and T. globulosa nematodes. The protoplast stage lasted from the 1st to the 12th day in T. оvis and to the 18th day in T. globulosa. Blastomeric formation occurred from the 3rd to the 18th day in T. оvis and from the 3rd to the 21st day in T. globulosa. Bean-shaped embryos formed from the 6th to the 21st day in T. оvis, and from the 9th to the 30th day in T. globulosa. Tadpole-like embryos developed from the 12th to the 24th day in T. оvis and from the 18th to the 33rd day in T. globulosa. Larvae formed in eggs of T. оvis from the 18th to the 27th day, and in eggs of T. globulosa from the 21st to the 36th day. Mobile larvae formed from the 21st to the 30th day in T. оvis, and from the 30th to the 39th day in T. globulosa. At 27 °С, mature eggs with mobile larvae developed in 30 days in T. оvis and in 39 in T. globulosa. The egg survival in laboratory culture was 84.3 ± 4.2 % and 76.3 ± 1.5%, respectively. Developmental changes of metric parameters in Trichuris nematode eggs (length and width of eggs, plug length, eggshell thickness) were species-specific.
Bryophytes on the devastated territories of sulphur deposits and their role in restoration of dump substrate
Authors: Rabyk I. V. , Lobachevska O. V. , Kyyak N. Y. , Shcherbachenko O. I.
Published: February 2019

Bryophytes possess a wide ecological diapason allowing them to populate substrates of technogenic origins which are scarcely suitable or completely unsuitable for viability of vascular plants. 49 bryophyte species, which belong to 2 divisions, 3 classes, 8 orders, 17 families, and 33 genera have been found on the dump territory of sulphur extraction of the mining-chemical enterprise “Sirka” (Yavoriv district, Lviv region). Seven transects, three on the north slope (base, slope, top), three on the south slope and one on the plateau were laid for sample selections. 20 investigated 0.5 × 0.5 m plots located 2 m apart were analyzed within each 10 × 10 m transect. Specific composition, life forms, projective cover, biomass of bryophytes, numbers of male, female and sterile plants, moisture content in the turfs, pH and physiological investigation of mosses were determined on each plot. The quantitative analysis of the biomorphological structure allowed us to establish the dependence of the spread of life forms on exposition and slope height; essential variability of the projective cover and moss biomass. Bryophyte cover plays an essential part in optimization of the moisture regime and surface layer temperature of technogenic substrates, improving the conditions of growth localities. We established that on the dump the dominant moss species are dioecious with a high level of reproductive effort (sexual and sexless), with short ontogenesis and age of first reproduction, which provides the chance to produce the maximum number of progeny in the minimum period and to form a complete moss cover. The analysis of seasonal moss photosynthesis dynamics has demonstrated the adaptability of moss photosynthetic apparatus to contrasting climatic conditions and the ability to support the intensity of photosynthetic processes on a rather stable level during the vegetative period. Our research showed that bryophytes play an important role in productivity of plant cover on the post-technogenic territories of sulphur extraction. It was found that bryophytes play a role in accumulation of organic carbon and biogenic elements in the substrate of the sulphur extraction dump . Carrying out research of specific composition dynamics and species activity is the precondition for revealing the essence of the dynamic processes taking place in the structure of the bryophyte communities on devastated territories and the influence of these processes on the formation of vegetation on dump complexes.
The faunistic structure of beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) in herpetobios of urbocenosis of Kharkiv city (Ukraine)
Authors: Komaromi N. A. , Nikolenko N. Yu. , Puchkov A. V.
Published: February 2019

A total of 320 species from 42 families were registered in the herpetobios (stratobiont and epigeobiont beetles) of the urbocenosis of Kharkiv. Among these more than 160 species are recorded for the first time for this metropolis. Four species of ground beetles (Notiophilus germinyi Fauvel, Clivina fossor L., Laemostenus terricola Herbst and Masoreus wetterhali Gyll.) were not listed for Ukraine in the Catalogue of Palearctic Coleoptera. The species Omosita japonica Reitter, 1874 (Nitidulidae) is new for Ukranian fauna. Moreover, 93 species from 17 families are the dominant species (at least in one of the urban ecosystems). Among these, eudominants are represented with almost 20 species, but the number of eudomonants did not exceed ten species in separate urban cenoses. Carabidae (80), Staphylinidae (36), Curculionidae (32) and Tenebrionidae (8 species) dominate both, in species composition and abundance. The total part of these groups reached at least 90% of Coleoptera, recorded in urban-cenosis. Separate species of Silphidae, Dermestidae, Elateridae, Chrysomelidae, Leiodidae, Coccinellidae, Nitidulidae, Scarabaeidae, Histeridae and Lucanidae were sporadically usual in most plots. They accounted almost 9% of the total quantity of all beetles in transformed cenoses. Among these, a greater number of species are found within the families of Scarabaeidae (33), Chrysomelidae (16), Elateridae (14), Histeridae (12), Coccinellidae (11) and Nitidulidae (11), Silphidae (6) and Dermestidae (6). The rest of the families are represented with 1–4 species. All beetles registered in herpetobios belong to three groups. Typical inhabitants of herpetobios prevailed (about 200 species from 22 families, at least 90% of all Coleoptera). The proportion of species sporadically associated with herpetobios (more than 40 species from 10 families) was about 5% of all beetles. Random components of herpetobios are represented by more than 70 species from 10 families, and their total share did not exceed 3% of all Coleoptera. A preliminary taxonomic review of coleopterofauna was carried out in different urbocenoses. The number of species in urbocenosises ranged from 101 (Forest Park) to 124 (urban parks). In other green plantings of the city, the species diversity reached 105–118 species. The number of dominant beetles in different areas ranged from 37 to 60 species.