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Social Themes in Projects of Contemporary Czech Conceptual and Action Art (from the Late 1980s to the present Day)
Váchová, Lucie ; Lahoda, Vojtěch (advisor) ; Morganová, Pavlína (referee) ; Štefková, Zuzana (referee)
The dissertation thesis gives a real picture of Czech artistic works from late 1980s to the present day that use the language of Conceptual and Action art for a reflection of current problems in our society. The study is to encompass socially-oriented art or tendencies that want to communicate with the inartistic context and its focus is on the social-political aspect of contemporary art. The first part of the text is focused on basic concepts, moreover, it describes the most important exhibitions, theoretical contexts or considerations associated with the concepts of political or engaged art and it includes a brief reference to examples of older socially oriented art of the 20th century. The thesis strives to give a picture of the main themes through which artists reflect on humanity within a current societal system with its various old or new phenomena. The topics and the particular relevant artworks are described in four main chapters that should reveal the working methods or the development of the artists approach or strategies of artistic groups that have simultaneously reflected changes in the Czech art scene for the past 25 years. The prime motives are classical or newborn topics like reflection on motherhood, transformation of the present-day family, attitudes to the phenomenon of age,...
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Guardians of the Public Interest: Frame Delimiting of watchdog Activism in the Context of Social scientific Discourse and in the Perspective of its Representatives
Beránková, Petra Alexandra ; Frič, Pavol (advisor) ; Kotlas, Petr (referee)
The work deals with the phenomenon of so called watchdog organizations. The increasing number and influence of these organizations indicates a creation of new social movement. The authoress defines them as a type of public benefit nongovernmental organizations focused on the controlling of the public sphere or advocating and asserting a "public interest" in relation to the democratization of society. The authoress target is to understand this type of action, so she asks herself the question: Which frameworks are used by watchdog activists for the interpretation of their acting? At first there is briefly presented the concept of watchdog in the context of wider reflections of contemporary society, mainly in the context of reflexive modernity, monitory and participatory democracy and information society. Secondly there is introduced Goffman's framework analysis and the related conceptualization of framework of social movements by Benford and Snow. The authoress highlights a definition of frames as the principles of selection, emphasis and presentation about what happens, and what matters. In the next part of this work, there are presented the methodology and results of the qualitative research based on semi-structured interviews with watchdog activists. The research is settled in the area of...
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Development of a bioanalytical method for the determination of novel drug candidates derived from thiosemicarbazone in a biological material
Suprunová, Vlasta ; Stariat, Ján (advisor) ; Kučera, Radim (referee)
Nowadays, high-performance liquid chromatography is widely used analytical method for separation and quantification of drugs in biological material due to its high sensitivity and selectivity. HPLC is suitable for quantitative as well as qualitative analysis. 2-benzoylpyridine-4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazone (Bp4eT) is a potential drug from the group of thiosemicarbazones, which are currently intensively studied and developed as anticancer agents. Their specific mechanism of action, based on chelation of iron, might overcome resistance to standard chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to develop and assess essential validation parameters of an HPLC-MS/MS method for determination of Bp4eT and its main phase I metabolites in rat plasma and to utilise the method for the analysis of samples from a pilot pharmacokinetic study in rats. The separation of Bp4eT and its metabolites was achieved on chromatographic column Discovery HSC18 (75 x 4.6 mm, 3 µm) protected by the same type of guard column using the mobile phase consisting of ammonium formate and acetonitrile in ratio 40:60 (v/v). The isocratic elution and the flow rate of 0.4 ml/min were utilised. Mass spectrometer was chosen as a detector and the quantification was performed in selected reaction monitoring mode. Plasma samples were treated using the...
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Analysis of antimicrobial peptides in venom glands of bumblebees.
Janechová, Daniela ; Cvačka, Josef (advisor) ; Monincová, Lenka (referee)
The growing resistance of bacteria to traditional antibiotics promotes the interest in finding new substances for their production. Antimicrobial peptides have comparable effect to conventional antibiotics, but a different mechanism of action and they do not provoke bacterial resistance. These peptides were characterized in all forms of multicellular organisms. Hymenoptera venom contains many biologically active substances including antimicrobial peptides. For this reason, this thesis focuses on the acquisition of antimicrobial peptide sequences from selected species of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris, B. hortorum, B. hypnorum, B. pratorum, B. lucorum, B. lapidarius, B. humilis and B. bohemicus). The isolation from the venom glands was performed by high performance liquid chromatography with reversed phases. Subsequent analysis was performed using the methods of mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization with time of flight analyzer and electrospray ionization connected with hybrid linear ion trap analyzer with orbitrap. The sequences for the found peptides were determined by tandem mass spectrometry methods "de novo" and Edman degradation. In this work we characterized 17 sequences of peptides extracted from bumblebee venom glands for which antimicrobial activity was determined...
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Studies of NK cell receptors and other proteins using recombinant expression and mass spectrometry
Kavan, Daniel ; Bezouška, Karel (advisor) ; Tučková, Ludmila (referee) ; Řehulka, Pavel (referee)
Charles University in Prague Faculty of Science Department of Biochemistry Studies of NK cell receptors and other proteins using recombinant expressions and mass spectrometry Summary of Ph. D. Thesis Daniel Kavan Supervisor: Prof. RNDr. Karel Bezouška, DSc. Prague 2010 Daniel Kavan Introduction Introduction NK cells and CD69 as one of their surface receptors Natural killer cells (NK cells) are the subpopulation of large granular lymfocytes, which lacks the surface receptors typical for B cells or T cells. They are characterized by the presence of NKp46 and NKp30 [Moretta L. et. al. 2002], however. They were named natural killers according to their function in the organism, as they do not need any activation and nevertheless they are able to eliminate abnormal (i. e. infected or transformed) cells from the tissue [Kiessling R. et. al. 1975]. This function is dependent on scanning the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules of ambient cells. The resulting action (killing or not killing the target cell) is dependent on the balance of activating and inhibiting signals mediated by the NK cell surface receptors and forwarded to the specific signaling pathway [Raulet D. H. et. al. 2001]. Specificity of NK cells is not based only on one type of antigen receptor as it is in case of T and B cells,...
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The role of infectious diseases in the development and progression of renal graft dysfunction
Drenko, Petr ; Reischig, Tomáš (advisor) ; Hrabák, Jaroslav (referee) ; Dedinská, Ivana (referee)
Infectious diseases and their impact on the development and progression of renal graft dysfunction Infectious diseases represent a significant risk factor for morbidity and mortality among organ transplant recipients. In renal transplant recipients, infectious complications are the most common cause of death with preserved graft function. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the most common opportunistic infections after solid organ transplantation. Despite the routine use of modern preventive measures, CMV infection puts kidney transplant recipients at higher risk of graft failure and mortality. In addition to direct action, CMV also has an immunomodulatory ability that is associated with an increased risk of T-lymphocyte-mediated and possibly antibody-mediated graft rejection in particular, both of which limit long-term allograft survival. The two main strategies for CMV prevention include (1) universal prophylaxis with treatment of all patients at risk (according to donor-recipient serostatus) with antiviral drugs and (2) preventive therapy based on CMV monitoring and treatment of only selected patients with significant viral replication (DNAemia). The current International Consensus Guidlines consider both strategies equivalent in patients after kidney transplantation, even in the high- risk...
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Molecular mechanisms involved in genotoxicity of industrially important monomers (styrene, 1,3-butadiene)
Kuricová, Miroslava ; Vodička, Pavel (advisor) ; Černá, Marie (referee) ; Machala, Miroslav (referee)
1 ABSTRACT The evaluation of individual health risk in workers occupationally exposed to industrial xenobiotics requires the use of a large number of parameters reflecting external exposure, internal exposure, biological effects and individual susceptibility. Environmental, occupational and life style-related exposure to mutagenic agents may contribute to cancer risk in humans. To prevent the potentially hazardous effects of such agents it is important to understand their mechanisms of action. Styrene is one of the most important monomer for producing polymers and copolymers in plastics, latex paints and together with 1,3-butadiene (BD) in the manufacture of synthetic rubbers. In this thesis, a large set of parameters, including markers of external and internal exposure and biomarkers of biological effects and susceptibility have been studied in relation to the occupational exposure to both styrene and BD. First part of the present study was focused on evaluating the role of various biomarkers to assess genotoxic effects of above mentioned xenobiotics. Biomarkers reflecting styrene- and BD-induced genotoxicity and mutagenicity: O6 -styrene guanine DNA adducts, haemoglobin adducts, single-strand breaks (SSBs), SSB Endo III sites, chromosomal aberrations (CA), hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase...
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Climate Skepticism in the Czech Republic: Countermovement and Its Strategies
Vidomus, Petr ; Loužek, Marek (advisor) ; Strmiska, Maxmilián (referee) ; Vráblíková, Kateřina (referee)
The climate change skepticism has been becoming a more and more distinct and apparently increasing social phenomenon. To date, western scholars have described the different forms it can take and the factors supporting its increase. In the recent years, we've been observing some signs of a similar trend in the Czech Republic because the number of people who find the anthropogenic climate changes significant has been decreasing and the proportion of the "skeptic population" has been growing. Although in the first part of this paper I present an overview of data concerning the "public climate change skepticism" (available poll data), its primary focus is on the research of activities carried out by individuals and groups that relativize the importance of climate changes constantly, publically and in a more or less organized manner. In such case we can talk about a certain form of a countermovement against the environmentalism and the mainstream climatology. This paper draws mainly from a qualitative study conducted between 2011 and 2014 by means of semi-structured interviews with active Czech climate change skeptics. The goal of the study was to describe the strategies of climate change skeptics actions in the changing political and discursive environment, the forms of their organization and the...
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Methods and approaches used in Center Day services for people with intellectual disabilities
Kyptová, Jitka ; Lorenzová, Jitka (advisor) ; Krykorková, Hana (referee)
Master thesis has theoretical and empirical nature. Its aim is to verify the use and effectiveness of selected methods of working with people with intellectual disabilities in CDS for adults. The theoretical part is devoted to three basic themes. The first issue is devoted generally to persons with MP: MP definition, etiology, classification. Briefly analyzes the life situation of people with MP and their families. The second part focuses on social services to designated persons with MP, especially at day service centers for adults, outlining the personality and noted social worker and current legislation related to that. There is also a subsection dealing with the specifics of working with people with intellectual disabilities. The second part of the educational requirements for closed environments. In the third part present the outline of the four communication approaches. In the practical section describing the application of action research using different approaches in day services for adults with mental disabilities in the center Rolnicka Soběslav.
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The role of the cytoskeleton in morphogenesis of plant cells
Havelková, Lenka ; Schwarzerová, Kateřina (advisor) ; Hašek, Jiří (referee) ; Malínská, Kateřina (referee)
6. Conclusions ► The capability of ARPC2 protein (subunit of ARP2/3 complex) to bind microtubules was described in this study. Our results indicated that ARP2/3 complex may mediate direct interaction between microfilaments and microtubules in processes where the coordination of microtubule reorganization and actin mediated growth was required. ► We showed that cell-malforming effect of growth retardant ancymidol was based on its inhibitory action on cellulose synthesis. Microtubules played a passive role in this process and were not directly responsible for changes of the cell shape induced by ancymidol. ► Meristematic and suspensors cells in maturating somatic embryos differed in sensitivity to latrunculin B, probably due to different composition of actin isoforms in these cells. Application of low doses of latrunculin B resulted in selective death of suspensor cells and thus contributed to the development of high-quality embryos. ► Aluminium caused rapid cessation of root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. We showed that the immediate reason of root growth cessation was plasma membrane rigidization and loss of endocytosis in root cells. Aluminium stabilized cortical microtubules within minutes and induced their loss within hours of treatment. However, the effect of aluminium on microtubules was not...
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