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Lyubov Borisovna Nikolskaya (1909–1984) was a composer, music researcher and music teacher, who graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory, where she majored in composition (having studied with Maximilian Steinberg) and musicology (as a student of Semyon Ginzburg). The main period of her creative activity was during the years 1947–1984, when she worked at the Urals State M. P. Mussorgsky Conservatory, having traversed the path from a teacher to a professor at the music theory and composition departments. Lyubov Nikolskaya became the founder of the tradition of composition of children's operas in the Ural Mountains region. She composed about ten children's operas based on literary works by writers from the Ural Mountains region of the previous century (“The Silver Hoof” by Pavel Bazhov, “The Devushka-Semidelushka” by Elena Khorinskaya, etc.). A weighty position in them is held by the domain of fairytale-fantastic imagery. In the realization of her fantastic imagery Nikolskaya relies on the traditions of the St. Petersburg Compositional School of the 19th and early 20th centuries, presented by such significant composers as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Anatoly Lyadov, Nikolai Tcherepnin and others. The aforementioned refers to the features of the dramaturgy of the libretto, interpretation of stage images, the specificity of the use of the means of harmony, counterpoint, texture, and orchestral-timbre color, which is perceived in the musical vocabulary of her opera compositions examined in this article. Keywords: Lyubov Nikolskaya, children's operas, the traditions of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Urals Composer School, Pavel Bazhov.

The increasing globalization and internationalization of the cultural industry requires careful consideration of the global trends in the development of the cultural industry. During the last decade many Asian countries, especially China, have also taken a leading position in the global market of services of the cultural industry. China has achieved an impressive amount of success in the development and industry of culture and tourism around the world. The relevance of this study is due to the opportunities and need to make use of the experience of China for the development of the cultural industry and, primarily, musical culture in Russia. The development of the cultural industry, the experience of propaganda, the experience of opposing the Western model, and the experience of financing and internationalization must be studied and adapted to Russian conditions. After the Nanjing Peace Treaty of 1842 there began a gradual influence of European artistic achievements on China. Solo violin, chamber and orchestral music became widespread, the system of professional training for violinists began to take shape, and Chinese composers started composing their first works for the violin. In the context of the formation of a contemporary model of relations between Russia and China, scientific and educational cooperation involves a detailed analysis of the mechanisms of the organization of partner countries and the identification of possible ways of cooperation in this area. The development of the management experience of cultural industry, propaganda experience, the experience of opposition to the Western model, and the experience of financing and internationalization must be studied and disseminated in the Russian context.

At the turn of the 1970s and the 1980s, after the cessation of the Cultural Revolution Chinese composers began intensive study of the 20th century European musical classics, including the compositions of the Second Viennese School, as well as the European and American postwar avant-garde, including serialism. The result of this was an adaptation of serial technique on the Chinese cultural soil, a synthesis of the method with national traditions – modal, timbral, metro-rhythmic, philosophical and aesthetical. Mastery of the technique took place in two mutually conditioned directions – the theoretical-methodological, connected with expounding the chief principles of Schoenberg’s compositional method, and the practical, which led to the creation of dodecaphonic works by Chinese composers. The first to demonstrate interest in the 20th century Western classics was Luo Zhongrong. As the result of his translations of musical texts, the theoretical works of Arnold Schoenberg and Paul Hindemith became well-known, the ideas of the American apologists of serialism, George Perle and Allen Forte, began to be disseminated. A major researcher of serial technique in China is musicologist Zheng Yinglie. From the late 1970s he developed original courses devoted to twelve-tone music for students and aspirants, and in 1989 he published his own tutorial materials as a monograph “Courses of Composition of Serial Music.” Special interest for Chinese musicians was aroused by the figure of Arnold Schoenberg. At the present time analysis of chosen works carried out by Chinese music scholars has firmly entered into tutorial material for students of higher musical educational institutions in the People’s Republic of China. The greater part of articles about Schoenberg written in China is devoted to his pedagogical, theoretical and conducting activities. In the domain of Chinese scholarship all of the crucial works by Schoenberg pertaining to different periods of his work have been examined. In recent years there have appeared articles elucidating the history of study of the legacy of Schoenberg in China. Keywords: Chinese serial technique, Arnold Schoenberg, Zheng Yinglie, Luo Zhongrong, Chinese musicology.

The article is devoted to the musical legacy of 20th century Russian composer Alexander Lazarevich Lokshin (1920–1987). At the focus of the article’s attention is the composer’s Fifth Symphony “Shakespeare’s Sonnets” for string orchestra and baritone (1969). Lokshin’s symphony, which continues the Shakespearean line in Russian music of the past few centuries, may be placed on the same level with the outstanding works of the composers of the 1960s. Presenting a unique specimen of a “bilingual” (English and Russian) musical manifestation of Shakespeare’s world famous sonnets, this composition also demonstrates an example of the post-modernist double coding, where beyond the primary layer of the poetry of the British classic it is possible to decipher the symphonic allegory of Lokshin the composer. Lokshin attempted to avoid reducing the all-embracing meaning of the philosophical lyrics to mere subjective categories. By emphasizing in the allegory a concrete plan, he brought out the instrumental image of the friend to whom the composition is addressed and, singling out the viola part in the string section of the orchestra, he ascribed to it an important role in the dramaturgy of the symphony. In the context of the intensive search for a new image of Russian symphony-drama, Lokshin’s musical score presents a unique example of interpretation of large-scale conceptual form. Keywords: Alexander Lokshin, William Shakespeare, Boris Pasternak, sonnet, chamber symphony, Rudolf Barshai, viola, “Hamlet.”

In the article devoted to one of the most well-known compositions by the Tajik composer Tolib Shakhidi the means of reflection of Sufi symbolism in the synthetic genre of the televised ballet are researched. Stemming from the essential parameters of the symbol (taking into account the formed traditions of study of this category), the authors propose their own perspective of the issue. The role of the symbol is shown in expounding by artistic means of the Sufi path of perfection (Tarikat) as a bridge between the two worlds. The orientation on the multilevel complex of sets (musical, scenographic, choreographical, scenic or poetical) and the specificity of the chief Sufi principle of zohirbotin (the inner vs. the outer) made it possible to carry out the analysis of the indicated phenomenon on the basis of a differentiated approach toward symbol. As a result, symbol-images are revealed (the main characters are the Poet, his Muse and Death), which are the most multifaceted and acquiring the features of allegory and metaphor; symbol-signs, frequently carrying out the functions of leit-symbols (a pitcher, a chalice of wine, fire, a flute) and in virtue of Sufi cryptography acquiring signs of the symbol-emblem. The possession of the verbal row (the sounding Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam) aids the comprehension of Sufi conception with its metaphoricity. Research has shown that the examined symbolism is presented on the following level: in scenic dramaturgy, in the images of the main dramatis personae, in their musical manifestation, in the utilization of symbolic poetry, in color solutions in the attributive formatting of the televised ballet. Keywords: Sufi symbolism, televised ballet, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the principle of zohir-botin, Tolib Shakhidi.

Development of biologically inspired experimental processes for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is an evolving important branch of nanotechnology. In the present work, we studied the potential of four bacterial species for extracellular production of nanosilver (AgNPs) from 3 mM concentration of silver nitrate (AgNO3) after incubation for 4h at 85°C. Biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized by using different methods such as; UV/vis spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results of UV–vis spectroscopy showed maximum absorption at 401-432 nm, which represents the characteristic surface plasmon resonance of AgNPs. TEM demonstrated that the size range of these NPs ranged approximately from 7.8- 13.4 nm. Representing the XRD pattern obtained for the AgNPs, a number of Fcc structures of silver Bragg reflections corresponding to (100), (110), (111), (200) and (220) planes were observed. FTIR results recorded a downward shift of absorption bands between 400–4000 cm−1 indicating the formation of AgNPs. Finally we concluded that the extracellular biosynthesis of AgNPs by the four bacterial species; Ochrobactrum sp. (MAM-C9), Achromobacter xylosoxidans (MAM-29), Pseusomonas aeruginosa (MAM-42) and Bacillus cereus (MAM-I.11) were confirmed. This study recorded that bacterial biosynthesis of AgNPs is useful to avoid adverse effects of chemical and physical methods that are non-suitable for medical applications.

Personalized or precision medicine is predicated on the assumption that the average response to treatment is not necessarily representative of the response of each individual. A commitment to personalized medicine demands an effort to bring evidence-based medicine and personalized medicine closer together. The use of relatively homogeneous groups, defined using a priori criteria, may constitute a promising initial step for developing more accurate risk-prediction models with which to advance the development of personalized evidence-based medicine approaches to heterogeneous syndromes such as schizophrenia. However, this can lead to a paradoxical situation in the field of psychiatry. Since there has been a tendency to loosely define psychiatric disorders as ones without a known aetiology, the discovery of an aetiology for psychiatric syndromes (e.g. 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in some cases of schizophrenia), while offering a path toward more precise treatments, may also lead to their reclassification away from psychiatry. We contend that psychiatric disorders with a known aetiology should not be removed from the field of psychiatry. This knowledge should be used instead to guide treatment, inasmuch as psychotherapies, pharmacotherapies and other treatments can all be valid approaches to mental disorders. The translation of the personalized clinical approach inherent to psychiatry into evidence-based precision medicine can lead to the development of novel treatment options for mental disorders and improve outcomes.

BackgroundCongenital abnormalities of the kidney and the urinary tract are the most common cause of pediatric kidney failure. These disorders are highly heterogeneous, and the etiologic factors are poorly understood.MethodsWe performed genomewide linkage analysis and whole-exome sequencing in a family with an autosomal dominant form of congenital abnormalities of the kidney or urinary tract (seven affected family members). We also performed a sequence analysis in 311 unrelated patients, as well as histologic and functional studies.ResultsLinkage analysis identified five regions of the genome that were shared among all affected family members. Exome sequencing identified a single, rare, deleterious variant within these linkage intervals, a heterozygous splice-site mutation in the dual serine-threonine and tyrosine protein kinase gene (DSTYK). This variant, which resulted in aberrant splicing of messenger RNA, was present in all affected family members. Additional, independent DSTYK mutations, including nonsense and splice-site mutations, were detected in 7 of 311 unrelated patients. DSTYK is highly expressed in the maturing epithelia of all major organs, localizing to cell membranes. Knockdown in zebrafish resulted in developmental defects in multiple organs, which suggested loss of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling. Consistent with this finding is the observation that DSTYK colocalizes with FGF receptors in the ureteric bud and metanephric mesenchyme. DSTYK knockdown in human embryonic kidney cells inhibited FGF-stimulated phosphorylation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK), the principal signal downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases.ConclusionsWe detected independent DSTYK mutations in 2.3% of patients with congenital abnormalities of the kidney or urinary tract, a finding that suggests that DSTYK is a major determinant of human urinary tract development, downstream of FGF signaling. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.).

Item does not contain fulltext BACKGROUND: Findings from family and twin studies suggest that genetic contributions to psychiatric disorders do not in all cases map to present diagnostic categories. We aimed to identify specific variants underlying genetic effects shared between the five disorders in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. METHODS: We analysed genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for the five disorders in 33,332 cases and 27,888 controls of European ancestory. To characterise allelic effects on each disorder, we applied a multinomial logistic regression procedure with model selection to identify the best-fitting model of relations between genotype and phenotype. We examined cross-disorder effects of genome-wide significant loci previously identified for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and used polygenic risk-score analysis to examine such effects from a broader set of common variants. We undertook pathway analyses to establish the biological associations underlying genetic overlap for the five disorders. We used enrichment analysis of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data to assess whether SNPs with cross-disorder association were enriched for regulatory SNPs in post-mortem brain-tissue samples. FINDINGS: SNPs at four loci surpassed the cutoff for genome-wide significance (p

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders with a complex inheritance pattern. While many rare variants in synaptic proteins have been identified in patients with ASD, little is known about their effects at the synapse and their interactions with other genetic variations. Here, following the discovery of two de novo SHANK2 deletions by the Autism Genome Project, we identified a novel 421 kb de novo SHANK2 deletion in a patient with autism. We then sequenced SHANK2 in 455 patients with ASD and 431 controls and integrated these results with those reported by Berkel et al. 2010 (n = 396 patients and n = 659 controls). We observed a significant enrichment of variants affecting conserved amino acids in 29 of 851 (3.4%) patients and in 16 of 1,090 (1.5%) controls (P = 0.004, OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.23-4.70). In neuronal cell cultures, the variants identified in patients were associated with a reduced synaptic density at dendrites compared to the variants only detected in controls (P = 0.0013). Interestingly, the three patients with de novo SHANK2 deletions also carried inherited CNVs at 15q11-q13 previously associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. In two cases, the nicotinic receptor CHRNA7 was duplicated and in one case the synaptic translation repressor CYFIP1 was deleted. These results strengthen the role of synaptic gene dysfunction in ASD but also highlight the presence of putative modifier genes, which is in keeping with the "multiple hit model" for ASD. A better knowledge of these genetic interactions will be necessary to understand the complex inheritance pattern of ASD.

Saccular intracranial aneurysms are balloon-like dilations of the intracranial arterial wall; their hemorrhage commonly results in severe neurologic impairment and death. We report a second genome-wide association study with discovery and replication cohorts from Europe and Japan comprising 5,891 cases and 14,181 controls with approximately 832,000 genotyped and imputed SNPs across discovery cohorts. We identified three new loci showing strong evidence for association with intracranial aneurysms in the combined dataset, including intervals near RBBP8 on 18q11.2 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, P = 1.1 x 10(-12)), STARD13-KL on 13q13.1 (OR = 1.20, P = 2.5 x 10(-9)) and a gene-rich region on 10q24.32 (OR = 1.29, P = 1.2 x 10(-9)). We also confirmed prior associations near SOX17 (8q11.23-q12.1; OR = 1.28, P = 1.3 x 10(-12)) and CDKN2A-CDKN2B (9p21.3; OR = 1.31, P = 1.5 x 10(-22)). It is noteworthy that several putative risk genes play a role in cell-cycle progression, potentially affecting the proliferation and senescence of progenitor-cell populations that are responsible for vascular formation and repair.

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Sažetak

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are common, heritable neurodevelopmental conditions. The genetic architecture of ASDs is complex, requiring large samples to overcome heterogeneity. Here we broaden coverage and sample size relative to other studies of ASDs by using Affymetrix 10K SNP arrays and 1,168 families with at least two affected individuals, performing the largest linkage scan to date while also analyzing copy number variation in these families. Linkage and copy number variation analyses implicate chromosome 11p12-p13 and neurexins, respectively, among other candidate loci. Neurexins team with previously implicated neuroligins for glutamatergic synaptogenesis, highlighting glutamate-related genes as promising candidates for contributing to ASDs. © 2007 Nature Publishing Group.