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Jataka Stories - Legendary Biographies of Gautama Buddha in the Jatakatthavannana
Horáček, Petr ; Holba, Jiří (advisor) ; Ondračka, Lubomír (referee)
This thesis deals with the possible interpretations of the jātaka stories (Buddhist sacred biographies genre). The author focuses on the Jātakatthavannana collection, part of the Pali canon, which is an important text for early and Theravada Buddhism. A characteristic feature of the jātaka is that Siddhartha Gautama of the Śākya clan, better known under his title Buddha, tells us about his previous births, in which He is called Bodhisattva. In accord with Buddhist cosmology, Bodhisattva is born in different forms: as human, animal and mythical creatures. In the jātaka stories symbolic links can be seen to the psychological, social, ethical, political, religious and philosophical themes of cultures in which they were told. In the early jātaka motives known from fables and mythologies of other cultures are also found. Their meaning, however, is given another shade or is completely different. The semantic value of themes is largely determined by the position they have in the configuration of relations between symbols, which is different for different cultures (as is shown by the author on a particular case). Due to this fact, the author adopts two following approaches. First, the author does not strive to find the original form of the jātaka tales and is not interested in their linguistic development....
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Growth and ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism in Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
Vendl, Tomáš ; Šípek, Petr (advisor) ; Saska, Pavel (referee)
6 Abstract Due to its effect on fitness and many biological processes is body size one of the most important attribute of organisms. Body size is positively correlated with fecundity in insects and other ectotherms. Growth, which determine body size, is therefore crucial feature of animals. Study of growth can elucidate some aspects of body size evolution. Unfortunatelly, many insects life-history studies do not consider its complexity, especially the existence of distinct larval instars. Inaccurate record of growth trajectory may result also in biased differences in growth between sexually dimorphic sexes. Aim of this thesis is to record growth trajectories of two flower beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae). These growth trajectories enable to define proximate mechanisms of growth with regard to individual instars. Determination of developmental mechanisms of sexual size dimorphism is another goal of this study. The growth is clearly divided in three distinct periods. In each individual period (i.e. instar) is described by asymptotic curve. The instars are not independent on each other - the growth in following instar is influenced by growth in previous. There are no differences in growth characteristics between sexes. Sexual size dimorphism is caused by differences in growth rate between...
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The Novel Shengsi pilao by Mo Yan and Historical Fiction in the Contemporary Chinese Literature
Hovorková, Petra ; Andrš, Dušan (advisor) ; Lomová, Olga (referee)
The novel Shengsi pilao, written by a contemporary Chinese author Mo Yan, is a free continuation of authorʼs preceding writings recounting the lives of family clans in the Shandong province countryside during the 20th century. The novel employs a specific literary style in exploring history of the PCR from 1949 to 2000, using a story of a landownerʼs soul reincarnating itself to several different animals to be finally born as an extraordinary child. Some of authorʼs preceding works were characterized as "new historical fiction (NHF)", a wave of last century late 80ʼs Chinese fiction. NHF revives some of traditional Chinese fiction narrative techniques and introduces certain literary innovations at the same time. Thus it differs from earlier historical fiction, both traditional and modern. Its main characteristic is deconstruction of authorial representation, challenge to legitimacy of the official history and negation of Chinese modernity. This theses brings forward an analysis of narrative techniques, subjects and general meaning of the novel within the context of authorʼs previous work and considers its relation to NHF.
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The role of mitochondria in cardioprotective effect induced by hypoxia in rat
Lomnický, Matouš ; Žurmanová, Jitka (advisor) ; Hlaváčková, Markéta (referee)
Aerobic organisms need sufficient oxygen supply to maintain homeostasis. These organisms are frequently exposed in hypoxic environments naturally, and also occur in hypoxic states in various pathological conditions. Cardioprotective effect of hypoxia had been recognised more than 30 years ago; and later on, cardioprotective effects of ischemic preconditioning were discovered. Long term exposure to hypobaric hypoxia activates cardioprotective mechanisms, which lower the aftermathes of short term ischemia of myocardia and the effects of further health complications. The core of protective mechanisms has not yet been fully clarified. This work deals with the significance of mitochondria on cardioprotection during hypobaric hypoxia adaptation. This work describes physiological adaptive processes on selected animals on natural hypoxic conditions and also molecular mechanisms, examined on experimental models. Molecular mechanisms of the origins of cardioprotective effects discovered so far, mainly indicate PKC signal pathways through thyrosine kinase and mitogenes of activated kinase and also indicate an activation of sarcKATP-channels and mitoKATP-channels. Opening of these channels can protect mitochondria against a Ca2+ overload, or can lead to an increase in mitochondrial capacity which is possibly connected...
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Neurorehabilitation after brain injury. Therapeutic possibilities.
Angerová, Yvona ; Lippertová-Grünerová, Marcela (advisor) ; Jeřábek, Jaroslav (referee) ; Kozler, Petr (referee)
Neurorehabilitation is a multidisciplinary rehabilitation process used in patients with neurological diseases. These patients have not only movement disorders but also cognitive and neurobehavioral problems as well as aphasias. Their rehabilitation is a long term process and the results are often unsatisfactory. Neuroplasticity - physiological basis for neurorehabilitation induces functional restitution or recovery after secondary brain damage. Various neuroprotective substances (e.g. erythropoietin - EPO) are tested to empower mechanisms of plasticity after brain injury. Preclinical studies testing efficacy of those substances in animal brain damage models are essential to prepare clinical trials. The aim of the study was to reveal the influence of EPO combined with rehabilitation on functional outcomes after global cerebral hypoxia. FIM (Functional independence measure) test was used for functional evaluation and Meilli test for visual memory of the patients who attended special program for rehabilitation in clinical part. Patients who came earlier had better prognosis than patients who came later. In experimental part three-months old male Wistar albino rats were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for 60 minutes in an experimental chamber, simulating an altitude of 8000 m. Half of the animals received...
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The animate body. The veneration for the body as one of aspects of the ecological life
Dvořáková, Tereza ; Opletalová, Lenka (referee) ; Ortová, Jitka (advisor)
This project deals with sphere of the human ecology. The author considers connections between human relation to the body and relation to nature. She proposes that an ecological opinion is influenced by human position to the body. She asserts the body is a part of human society as well as nature. In the first part, the author sketches metamorphoses of science's paradigm in last centuries. She focuses mainly on the contrast between a mechanistic look of modern period and a dynamic outlook of previous pre - modern periods. The next part of this project tries to map different aspects of ecological approach to the body. Firstly, the author brings various historical approaches to the body, especially them which are connected with our contemporary relation to the body. Further, she considers relations between the human body and human society, between the body and the home (as oikos). She also compares the wilderness of the human body with the landscape. Next topics are related to connection between the body, language and the world of the dreaming, symbols and archetyps. In one part is paid attention to a topic: the body as a border. The conclusion of this project is intended as a list of various ways of ecological work with the body. The author alludes for example holistic perception, techniques of imagination,...
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Genetic conflicts and speciation
Kropáčková, Lucie ; Munclinger, Pavel (referee) ; Reifová, Radka (advisor)
In this thesis I'll examine the role of genetic conflicts in the origin of new species. Genetic conflicts can lead to an origin of reproductive barrier between the emerging species, especially postzygotic reproductive isolation. An example of such conflict could be meiotic drive on sex chromosomes, which distort sex ratio and seems to act a role in a hybrid male sterility. Another example may be genomic imprinting causing an abnormal placenta and embryo development in interspecies hybrids. Coevolution between cytoplasmic and nuclear genes can cause sterility of pollen in hybrids from plants. Similarly, the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia induces cytoplasmic incompatibility in animals. Mobilization of transposons may also lead to hybrid dysgenesis.
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Induction of neurogenesis and gliogenesis after ischemic injury of CNS
Filipová, Marcela ; Moravec, Jan (referee) ; Anděrová, Miroslava (advisor)
Ischemic injury (stroke) is one of the most common causes of death and disability in humans. Discovery of adult neurogenesis and possibilities to induce neurogenesis by cytokines brought new approaches and hopes in treating the ischemic lesion in future. The aim of this thesis is to describe cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurogenesis, mainly those discovered within last ten years. The first part describes generation of new neurons in the brain under physiological conditions, which is localized in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles (i.e. in principal neurogenic regions). The second part describes animal models used for studying ischemic injury in rodents and moreover, it focuses on patophysiology of ischemic brain injury, which is accompanied by astrocyte and microglia activation. Further, the ischemia-induced neurogenesis is described in these two major neurogenic regions. Also the important role of NG2 glial cells in central nervous system (CNS) regeneration is pointed out. According to recent findings NG2 glia that are present in all regions of CNS might serve as a potential source of cells for directed differentiation into oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and even neurons during CNS repair/regeneration. In the last part of this work,...
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Allergens of natural origin
Kavková, Kateřina ; Jílek, Petr (referee) ; Tůmová, Lenka (advisor)
Kateřina Kavková The aim of this diploma thesis is to create the summary of plants and natural compounds which can cause contact, inhalant or food allergies. Their incidence is documented by case reports, the most of them came from Europe, Asia and America where are these problems solved and science in these regions pays attention to allergies in general. Asteraceae family is the most often cause of allergy (10,8 %) thanks to sesquiterpene lactones, on the second place there is Lamiaceae family (7,2 %) with the content of fragrances and oils. The next position is engaged by families Anacardiaceae and Fabaceae (6 %). In the comparison with previous studies Asteraceae allergy is on the decline, but the number of subject positive to cosmetics and fragrances is increasing. Less amount of articles discuss about propolis and latex sensitivity. Source of allergies can be found in plants and animals as well. Particular case reports describe allergy and its diagnosis, identification of main allergens, therapy of resulting problems and eventually recommend next arrangements including prevention. The tables with complemented information present new pieces of knowledge incorporated to scientific periodics and journals from 2004 till 2009. The most of cited articles was published in Contact Dermatitis.
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Interspecific hybridization in birds: lessons for conservation
Štěpánková, Klára ; Reif, Jiří (advisor) ; Vokurková, Jana (referee)
Interspecific hybridization is quite common in recent years. Favorable factors are rarity of a species, limited time for partner selection, misdirected preference in mating partner selection of females, preference for males with more pronounced sexually selected traits, greater body size and habitat destruction. Factors which lead to the artificially interspecific hybridization due to habitat destruction include deforestation, fragmentation of the territory, urbanization, abandoning agricultural areas, as well as translocation of species into the regions where they did not originally occur. These species can later interbreed with the native species and if the latter are rare and the former aggressive, it can result in increased threat potentially leading to extinction of indigenous populations. Exceptionally, interbreeding can lead to the emergence of a new species; however, this type of origination of a new species is not common in animals. Hybridization is a natural phenomenon important for the evolution. Nevertheless, anthropogenically induced or assisted hybridization represents a serious problem for the species conservation. Finding a solution to overcome the negative impacts of such interspecific hybridization is difficult and there is no exact and universally applied methodology to date. Key...
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