356 research outputs found
Tompa de Horzowa, Tompa de Palychna, Tompa de Monyorós. Contribution to the History of Croatian Noble Family
No full textČlanak je četvrti dio pokušaja rekonstrukcije povijesti srednjovjekovnih hrvatskih plemićkih obitelji Tompa de Horzowa i Tompa de Palychna.
Prvi dio je slijedio obiteljsku povijest do 16. stoljeća.
U drugom dijelu predstavljena su četiri obiteljska grba iz 16. i 17. stoljeća.
U trećem je prikazana povijest obitelji Tompa i Wiesner kroz atelijerske portrete u 19. i početkom 20. stoljeća. Svi su objavljeni u Arhivskom vjesniku 2012., 2013. i 2014.
U četvrtom dijelu vraćamo se na stariju povijest rodbine koju razmatramo kroz prizmu obiteljske genealogije iz fonda obitelji Tompa u Hrvatskom državnom arhivu – HDA pod nazivom „Deductio genealogiae nobilis familiae Tompianae“ ali i drugih izvora. Zanimljivo je da rodoslovlje, sastavljeno iz većeg broja listova, ima kao rodonačelnika obitelji zapisanog Ivana Tompu de Erdewda, brata hrvatskog biskupa i bana Šimuna Bakača Tompa de Erdödyja i rođaka kardinala i Korvinovog kancelara Tome Bakača. Ali već njegovi nasljednici po toj su genealogiji obitelj Tompa de Palychna, po nekim autorima i Tompa de Monyorós, koji vrh svega kasnije rabe i odrednicu
de Horzowa.U članku smo pokušali razjasniti kako je došlo do tog krivog tumačenja i pokazali da su članovi obitelji Tompa de Horzowa potomci Ivana Tompe de Horzowa, ali i da su iz istog roda kao i obitelj Tompa de Palychna. Također smo pojasnili kako je dio obitelji de Palychna i de Horzowa pogrešno uključen u obitelj Tompa de Monyorós.This part of the reconstruction of the history of the very old families from the lesser Croatian nobility Tompa de Horzowa and Tompa de Palychna is an attempt to prove that both families were from the same kindred. In the Funds of the Tompa family in the Croatian National Archives, we can find documents from different Tompa families, but we believe that they all have the same kindred. We found documents related to the families Tompa de Palychna and Tompa de Horzowa. Some indices in a recent text, as well as one document from 1531 in the Funds of the Tompa family in the Croatian National Archive, can be interpreted as indicating that the members of the family Tompa de Palychna were descendants of John Tompa de Erdewd, the older brother of the Croatian bishop and ban Simon Bakocz, from the Erdödy kindred, who were from the branch called Tompa. At the same time however, there also lived another John Tompa, but from the kindred Tompa de Horzowa.
We first analysed the families’ coats of arms. It was not only the members of the Bakocz Erdödy family that used variations of the coat of arm of the cardinal and state chancellor Thomas/Tamas Bakocz. The Palffy family also used the same crucial element, a salient deer from the semi-wheel, in their coats of arms. It passed to them through the marriage of Clara Bakocz Erdödy to one member of the Palffy family. The four coats of arms of the families Tompa de Horzowa and Tompa de Palychna were completely different. A basic heraldic element in all four coats of arms was a pelican, which wounds his breast and nourishes its young in the nest with his blood. Two coats of arms contain a patriarchal or double cross. If John Tompa de Erdewd was the founder of the family Tompa de Palychna, as suggested by the recent text in the Croatian National Archives, and if John Tompa de Horzowa was one of the members of the family Tompa de Horzowa, the only logical conclusion is that they were completely different families without any family bonds. But we believe that Tompa de Palychna was from the same kindred as the family Tompa de Horzowa and they do not have any relationship with the Bakocz Erdödy family.
We also find clear example showing that the descendants from the first marriage used the predicate de Horzowa, and the descendants of the second marriage used the predicate de Palychna. This is a repeating pattern, which we can trace from the second half of the 16th century. For example, in the beginning of 16th century, the sons of Melkior Tompa de Horzowa were de Horzowa from the first marriage and de Palychna from the second. And what do Tompa de Horzowa and de Palychna have in common with the family Tompa de Monyoros? The Tompa de Monyoros were related to the castle of Monyoros, today Skrabčiansky hrad in Slovakia. But, we found toponyms and hidronyms of Monyoros all around the medieval Hungarian empire. If we take into account that the Hungarian term monyoros (also mogyoros) means hazel-tree and that monyoros means hazel-bushes overgrowing water, than it is logical that we can find that name in many different places. We know that Stephen Tompa de Palychna had some estates in the County of Baranya (near Sziget) and the County of Zala, where there were also estates with name Monyoros, so we believe that this confusion in equalizing the family Tompa de Palychna with Tompa de Monyoros arose from this misjudgement, as the two have nothing in common.
The other person that contributed to the confusion is the author Ivan Nagy, who in his 19th century book of Hungarian noble families wrote that a member of the Tompa family was Stephen Tompa de Monyoros (in our case he is Stephen Tompa de Palychna). Analysing the estates of the families Tompa de Horzowa and Tompa de Palychna, we find out that they were very close to each other from the second half of 16th century to the 20th century. From the second part of 16th century, all the estates of Tompa de Palychna and Tompa de Horzowa were around the Kolpa, the border river with Slovenia, which was at that time the border with Carniola, the inner Austrian land of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Previous estates from the 14th century of the family Tompa de Horzowa were located around Cirkvena in Krževci County, which were settled in the turbulent times with the Vlachs. Later, in 1628, the family brought all these estates back into their ownership.
The members of both families from the 16th century were in most cases state deputies of the Croatian, Slavonian and Dalmatian assembly, vice mayors of Zagreb and Varazdin county and judges – most of them were officers in Austro-Hungarian army. The other members were living more or less peacefully on the estate inherited from their ascendants until the 20th century. Their marriage ties show us that they were connected with noble families who found refuges when their primal estates were conquered by the Ottomans in others parts of Croatia. Those families were Forchych of Butinavac, Skarycza alias Ljubuncic of Ratkovec, Sturlich of Sturlich grad etc. But they were also connected to other noble Croatian and Hungarian families, such as Apoky, Bebessy, Bedeković of Komor, Jelačić, etc
Contribution to the Reconstruction of the History of Old Croatian Noble Families Tompa of Horzowa and Tompa of Palychna
No full textČlanak je prvi prilog pokušaja rekonstrukcije povijesti starih hrvatskih plemićkih obitelji Tompa de Horzowa i Tompa de Palychna od kraja 14. stoljeća do oko 1566. Njegova glavna tema je kritički osvrt na recentni strojopis anonimnog autora, koji se nalazi u fondu obitelji Tompa u Hrvatskom državnom arhivu. Strojopis koji ima četiri strane i napisan je na hrvatskom jeziku, vjerojatno je nastao u prvoj polovici 20. stoljeća. U njemu je prikaz izvora roda te se nabrajaju sve grane obitelji koje su živjele do 20. stoljeća u Hrvatskoj. Pored toga autor je dodao i druge loze za koje je mislio da su iz istoga roda, ali to nije bilo moguće dokazati. To su bile sada izumrla loza Tompa de Monyoro i njena grana Tompa de Erdewd, koja po autorovoj tvrdnji više ne živi pod tim imenom. Analizom tvrdnji iz strojopisa moguće je zaključiti da je anonimni autor korektno naveo sve osobe iz plemićkih obitelji Tompa koje se spominju u izvorima ali ih je sve povezao u blisku obiteljsku vezu, bez argumentiranih dokaza ili upućivanja na izvore. Neke njegove tvrdnje su logične i mogu se potvrditi, ali mnoge su malo vjerojatne te ih iz do sada pregledanih primarnih i sekundarnih izvora nije bilo moguće dokazati.This article is an attempt of the critical revision of the recent text written by anonymous historian/archivist from the first half of 20th century. This text was found as an addition to the Fonds of the family Tompa (HR-HDA-775) in the Croatian State Archives (CSA). His text explores a short history of the old Croatian family Tompa of lesser nobility and covers the period from 15th to 20th century. Some members of these kindred are described as one family but in most cases, it is impossible to link them to each other. On the contrary, we cannot treat them as one family but only as different families’ e. g. Tompa of Horzowa, Tompa of Palychna, Tompa of Kutnan (Kutina), Tompych of ZeËevo and of VranograË. We can’t prove their connections with absolute certainty, except for the first two. There is also some evidence that members of one family used both titles from 17th century on, Horzova and Palychna. In the above mentioned text, the family origin is placed in the historical region of Transylvania. Primarily they were the leaders “Cnezes” of Slavic origin from Walachia, who were soldiers in the Byzantine Army, but over time they turned into a closed caste of professional soldiers, a variety of pre-feudal elite. They moved to Transylvania in the late 12thcentury and came to Croatia, more precisely in Regnum Sclauoniae in the next century. The author of the text states that they were primarily Tompa of Palychna and later they split into two families: Palychna and Horzowa. Even more, he claims that the other noble family, Tompa of Monoyro, was from the same origin. However, no traces of that noble family could be found in Croatia, but we can find them as Thompa of Monyoros in Slovakia (medieval Upper Hungary). There is no relevant evidence in the sources to prove those statements, and the origin of the families/kindred is impossible to establish, as well as to connect to the noble families Tompa of Monyoros and Tompa of Palychna. The only certain evidence is that they appeared for the first time in Croatia as Tompa of Horzowa at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries around the castle of Križevci, County of Križevci. Therefore, the author’s statement that John Tompa (de Erdewd), the brother (frater carnalis) of the bishop and Croatian ban Simon Bakocz/Erdödy, was identical to the John Tompa of Horzowa, should be discarded. In this article, most of locally available sources about the noble families Tompa of Horzova and of Palychna were used, with a particular attention paid to their careers in the political hierarchy, the matrimonial ties, partly genealogy, and the acquisition of the estates. The analyses of their four coats of arms and genealogical papers also found in the Fonds of family Tompa in the CSA will be explored in the next contribution for reconstruction of the history of the kindred. In the 15th, 16th and 17th century, members of Croatian noble families Tompa were playing more or less important role in many crucial events in the history of Southeast Europe. One member from the family Tompa of Kutnan was a young “familiar” (familiaris) of Hungarian king Sigmund of Luxembourg, and the heroic fighter against the Ottoman Turks in the battle of Nicopolis in 1396. Two members of the kindred were the participants in the Siege/Battle of Szigeth in 1566. From the end of 14th to 17th century, we meet them as judges (iudex nobilium), highly educated persons (literatus, magister), a courtier (aulicus), vice mayors (vicecomes), tax collectors (dicator), as well as officers. Two members of the kindred were ecclesiastics; one was the bishop of Pecs, the second was the canon/dean (cannonicus) of Zagreb cathedral
Circular migration and the rights of migrant workers in Slovenia
No full textV zadnjih letih države članice Evropske unije (EU) opažajo velike tokove priseljevanja in spreminjajo se tudi značilnosti mednarodnih migracijskih tokov. Med najpogostejše dejavnike migracij spadajo socialni, politični, demografski, ekonomski, okoljski in podnebni. Krožne migracije so ponavljajoče se gibanje delavcev migrantov z namenom zaposlitve. V političnem diskurzu so pogosto predstavljene kot zagotovitev ugodnosti državam izvora in ciljnim državam ter tudi migrantom. Krožne migracije pripomorejo k zadovoljevanju potreb na evropskem trgu delapodročja ukrepanja vključujejo podporo aktivaciji malo zastopanih oseb na trgu dela, podporo razvoju spretnosti, usposabljanja in izobraževanja, izboljšanje pogojev dela, zavzemanje za pravičnejšo mobilnost delovne sile znotraj EU ter predvsem privabljanje talentov iz tretjih držav. EU je z namenom, da bi pritegnila visokokvalificirane delavce maja 2009 uveljavila tako imenovano Direktivo o modri karti, ki pa jo je oktobra 2021 nadomestila prenovljena direktiva. Z velikim pomanjkanjem delovne sile se srečuje tudi Slovenijaob tem delodajalci vse bolj računajo na tuje delavce. Toda pogoji zaposlovanja državljanov tretjih držav so preveč kompleksnipostopki pridobivanja in podaljševanja dovoljenj so zamudni in delavce iz tretjih držav pogosto odvračajo tudi pogoji dela. Vlada Republike Slovenije se zaveda pomembnosti upoštevanja spreminjajočega se globalnega dogajanja in spoštovanja človekovih pravic. Pravila v posodobljeni direktivi o modri karti se uporabljajo vzporedno s pravnimi akti v Sloveniji, da lahko delavci priseljenci, ki zakonito sklenejo delovno razmerje v Sloveniji, uživajo enake pravice in imajo enake dolžnosti kot slovenski delavci.In recent years, EU member states have seen large flows of immigration. Characteristics of international migration flows are also changing. Common factors of migration are social, political, demographic, economic, environmental, and climatic. Circular migration is the repeated movement of migrant workers for employment. Politically, they are often presented as providing benefits to countries of origin and destination, as well as to migrants. Circular migration helps meet the needs of the European labor market, and the areas of action include supporting the activation of underrepresented persons on the labor market, supporting the development of skills, training, and education, improving working conditions, advocating for fairer labor mobility within the EU and, above all, attracting talent from third countries. To attract highly qualified workers, the EU implemented the so-called Blue Card Directive in May 2009 which was replaced by a revised directive in October 2021. Slovenia is also facing a major labor shortage, and employers are increasingly counting on foreign workers. However, the conditions of employment of third-country nationals are somewhat too complex and the procedures for obtaining and renewing permits are time-consuming, and they are discouraged by the working conditions. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia is aware of the importance of taking into account the changing global situation and respecting human rights. The rules in the updated Blue Card Directive are applied in parallel with legal acts in Slovenia so that immigrant workers who enter into an employment relationship in Slovenia legally can enjoy the same rights and have the same duties as Slovenian workers
Threats of online shopping during covid-19
No full textVsesplošna dostopnost interneta, različnih elektronskih naprav in spletnih storitev so prispevale k rasti in priljubljenosti spletnega nakupovanja. Vse več potrošnikov po svetu je klasičen način nakupovanja zamenjalo za spletno nakupovanje, saj ta ponuja številne prednosti. Tovrsten trend je še posebej spodbudila epidemija Covid-19, ki je bila razglašena v letu 2020 in je zaradi strogih vladnih omejitev gospodarske dejavnosti ter družabnega življenja vplivala na navade potrošnikov. Kljub vsem prednostim, ki jih ponuja spletno nakupovanje pa imajo številni posamezniki po svetu zadržke glede njegove uporabe, saj so potrošniki med procesom spletnega nakupovanja izpostavljeni mnogim tveganjem. Namen diplomskega dela je bil opraviti pregled dosedanjih raziskav, povezanih s spletnim nakupovanjem in tveganji, ki se pri tem pojavljajo ter raziskati navade slovenskih potrošnikov glede spletnega nakupovanja. Pri tem smo se osredotočili na to, kako zaznavajo različna tveganja in ali so ta tveganja povezana s spletnim nakupovanjem. Pri zasnovi raziskave smo izhajali iz teorije racionalne izbire, modela zdravstvenih prepričanj in varnostnomotivacijske teorije, ki med pomembne dejavnike povezane z odločitvami in vedenji ljudi umeščajo zaznavo tveganj. Na tej osnovi in na podlagi pregleda literature smo postavili 11 hipotez, s katerimi smo predpostavljali povezanost različnih skupin tveganj s pogostostjo spletnega nakupovanja. Ugotovili smo, da so vsa tveganja, ki smo jih zajeli v raziskavo negativno in statistično značilno povezana s pogostostjo nakupovanja. Najmočneje so s pogostostjo nakupovanja povezana tveganja vezana na ugodje in možnost vračila izdelkov ter psihološka tveganja, najšibkeje pa tveganja vezana na zasebnost. Prav tako smo ugotovili, da so respondenti v času epidemije Covid-19 zelo pogosto nakupovali preko spleta in pogosteje kot pred epidemijo. Pri tem večina sodelujočih v raziskavi še ni bila žrtev kakšne prevare, zlorabe, ali druge grožnje povezane s spletnim nakupovanjem. Rezultati raziskave so uporabni kot izhodišče za nadaljnje raziskave na tem področju, ugotovitve pa je prav tako mogoče upoštevati pri ozaveščanju spletnih potrošnikov o možnih nevarnostih pri spletnem nakupovanju.The availability of the Internet, various electronic devices, and online services have contributed to the growth and popularity of online shopping. More and more consumers worldwide have switched from traditional shopping to online shopping, as it offers many benefits. This trend was particularly fuelled by the Covid-19 epidemic, which was declared in 2020 and affected consumer habits due to strict government restrictions on economic activity and social life. Despite all the benefits of online shopping, many individuals worldwide have reservations about its use, as consumers are exposed to many risks during the online shopping process. The purpose of the diploma thesis was to review previous research related to online shopping and related risks and to explore the habits of Slovenian consumers regarding online shopping. In doing so, we focused on how they perceive different risks and whether these risks are related to online shopping. The research design was based on the rational choice theory, the health-belief model, and protection-motivation theory, which place the perception of risks among the important factors related to people\u27s decisions and behaviour. Based on this and based on a literature review, we set up 11 hypotheses, with which we assumed the connection of different risk groups with the frequency of online shopping. We found that all the risks we covered in the survey were negatively and statistically significantly correlated to the online shopping frequency. Convenience risks, return policy risks, as well as psychological risks, are most strongly related to the frequency of online shopping, while the risks associated with privacy are the weakest. We also found that respondents shopped online very often during the Covid-19 epidemic and more often than before the epidemic. Most of the participants in the research have not yet been the victims of any fraud, abuse, or other threats related to online shopping. The research results are useful as a starting point for further research in this area, and the findings can also be taken into account in raising the awareness of online consumers about the possible dangers of online shopping
The carbon footprint model of a telecommunications company and estimation of carbon costs
No full textŠtevilni primeri iz prakse in analize potrjujejo ključno povezavo med uspešnostjo podjetja in okoljskim delovanjem le-tega. Ogljični odtis organizacije in ogljični odtis za proizvode oziroma storitve sta ena izmed možnosti za okoljsko ozaveščanje podjetja, uporabnikov proizvodov ter storitev podjetja. Ogljični odtis (angl. »Carbon footprint«) je seštevek toplogrednih plinov, ki jih je neposredno in posredno povzročil posameznik, organizacija, dogodek ali proizvod in je izražen kot ekvivalent ogljikovega dioksida (CO2-ekv). Izračun ogljičnega odtisa je za podjetje koristen zaradi upravljanja z emisijami toplogrednih plinov (TGP), nižanja stroškov, primerjave emisij med podjetji v panogi ter zaradi poročanja tretjim osebam.
Glavni cilj magistrske naloge je postavitev modela ogljičnega odtisa za telekomunikacijsko podjetje po mednarodno uveljavljeni metodologiji GHG Protocol. V ta namen smo ugotavljali emisije TGP po procesih oz. aktivnostih v izbranem podjetju in ugotovili, katerim virom emisij TGP velja posvetiti še posebno pozornost. Ogljični odtis je smiselno primerjati s podjetji v panogi, zato smo opravili primerjavo kazalnikov ogljične intenzivnosti z nekaterimi IKT podjetji v Evropi.
Rezultat dela je prikaz korakov pri določevanju ogljičnega odtisa ter sam izračun. Izračun ogljičnega odtisa je pokazal, da v vseh treh poslovnih letih prispeva največ emisij TGP raba električne energije. Prevozi zaposlenih v službo in nazaj, uporaba lastnih avtomobilov podjetja za transport ter ogrevanje prostorov predstavljajo naslednje večje povzročitelje emisij TGP. Razveseljivo pa je dejstvo, da smo ugotovili negativen trend oz. zmanjševanje količin emisij TGP v poslovnih letih.
V pričujoči raziskavi gre za poskus postavitve modela za določevanje ogljičnega odtisa. Na izračunan ogljični odtis vplivajo predpostavke in omejitve v modelu. Zaradi tega so lahko končni rezultati ogljičnega odtisa iz tega vidika pogojno veljavni.
Količine emisij TGP običajno dobijo dodatni pomen za podjetje, če postane to zanj neposreden strošek. Emisije TGP v večini primerov za gospodarstvo še vedno pomenijo eksternalije ali negativne zunanje posledice, ki se jih še ne plačuje v takšni meri, kot bi bilo potrebno. Eno izmed možnosti za boj proti podnebnim spremembam predstavlja koncept določevanja t.im. cene ogljika (angl. carbon price). Cena ogljika je znesek, ki mora biti plačan za izpust vsake tone CO2-ekv v ozračje. Tako s pojmom stroški ogljika (angl. carbon cost) obravnavamo stroške emisij TGP, kar predstavlja vrednotenje emisij TGP v finančnem smislu. Številna podjetja, ki pričakujejo prihodnjo regulacijo emisij TGP, že vključujejo stroške ogljika v procese odločanja s pomočjo notranje, interne ali senčne cene ogljika. To daje slutiti, da se podjetja že pripravljajo na svet z omejitvami in cenami za emisije TGP. Zato izpostavljamo uporabo interne cene ogljika ter izračun stroškov ogljika v podjetništvu kot proaktiven pristop k obvladovanju stroškov. Finančno razsežnot emisij TGP prikazujemo z izračunom stroškov ogljika.Numerous examples from practice and analyses confirm the key link between the company performance and environmental performance thereof. The carbon footprint of an organization and the carbon footprint of products or services are one option for the environmental awareness of the company, users of the products and company services. Carbon footprint is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions, which are directly and indirectly caused by an individual, organization, event or product and is expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq). The calculation of the carbon footprint is useful to the company because of the management of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, lowering costs, a comparison of emissions between companies in the sector as well as for reporting to third parties.
The main objective of the master\u27s thesis is a layout of a carbon footprint model for the telecommunications company following the internationally established methodology GHG Protocol. To this end, we have established GHG emissions by processes or activities in selected company and found out which sources of GHG emissions should receive our special attention. Carbon footprint is reasonable to compare with companies in the sector, so we made a comparison of carbon intensity indicators with some ICT companies in Europe.
The result of the work is an overview of the steps for determining the carbon footprint and its calculation. Carbon footprint calculation showed that in all three business years, the largest contributor of GHG emissions is the electricity consumption. The transport of employees to work and back, use of own cars of the company for transportation and space heating represent the next major emitters of GHG. Especially gratifying is the fact that we found a negative trend or reduction of GHG emissions in the business years.
This study is about an attempt of laying out a model for determining the carbon footprint. The calculated carbon footprint is influenced by the assumptions and limitations in the model. Because of this, the final results of the carbon footprint are conditionally valid from this point of view.
GHG emissions tend to have additional significance for the company if this becomes a direct cost for the company. GHG emissions in most cases continue to represent negative externalities or external effects for the economy, which are not paid to such an extent as would be necessary. One of the options for combating climate change represents the concept of determining the so-called carbon price. The carbon price is the amount that must be paid for the release of each tonne of CO2-eq into the atmosphere. Thus, the concept of the carbon cost deals with the costs of GHG emissions, which represents a valuation of GHG emissions in financial terms. Many companies that expect future regulation of GHG emissions already include the carbon cost in the decision-making processes through internal or shadow carbon price. This suggests that companies are already preparing for the world with constraints and prices for GHG emissions. Therefore, we highlight the use of an internal carbon price, and the calculation of the carbon cost in business as a proactive approach to cost management. Financial dimension of GHG emissions is shown by carbon cost calculation
Local structural disorder imparts plasticity on linear motifs
No full textMotivation: The dynamic nature of protein interaction networks requires fast and transient molecular switches. The underlying recognition motifs (linear motifs, LMs) are usually short and evolutionarily variable segments, which in several cases, such as phosphorylation sites or SH3-binding regions, fall into locally disordered regions. We probed the generality of this phenomenon by predicting the intrinsic disorder of all LM-containing proteins enlisted in the Eukaryotic Linear Motif (ELM) database. Results: We demonstrated that LMs in average are embedded in locally unstructured regions, while their amino acid composition and charge/ hydropathy properties exhibit a mixture characteristic of folded and disordered proteins. Overall, LMs are constructed by grafting a few specificity-determining residues favoring structural order on a highly flexible carrier region. These results establish a connection between LMs and molecular recognition elements of intrinsically unstructured proteins (IUPs), which realize a non-conventional mode of partner binding mostly in regulatory functions. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved
Distinct Hydration Properties of Wild-Type and Familial Point Mutant A53T of α-Synuclein Associated with Parkinson's Disease
No full textAbstractThe propensity of α-synuclein to form amyloid plays an important role in Parkinson's disease. Three familial mutations, A30P, E46K, and A53T, correlate with Parkinson's disease. Therefore, unraveling the structural effects of these mutations has basic implications in understanding the molecular basis of the disease. Here, we address this issue through comparing details of the hydration of wild-type α-synuclein and its A53T mutant by a combination of wide-line NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and molecular dynamics simulations. All three approaches suggest a hydrate shell compatible with a largely disordered state of both proteins. Its fine details, however, are different, with the mutant displaying a somewhat higher level of hydration, suggesting a bias to more open structures, favorable for protein-protein interactions leading to amyloid formation. These differences disappear in the amyloid state, suggesting basically the same surface topology, irrespective of the initial monomeric state
Exon-phase symmetry and intrinsic structural disorder promote modular evolution in the human genome
No full textA key signature of module exchange in the genome is phase symmetry of exons, suggestive of exon shuffling events that occurred without disrupting translation reading frame. At the protein level, intrinsic structural disorder may be another key element because disordered regions often serve as functional elements that can be effectively integrated into a protein structure. Therefore, we asked whether exon-phase symmetry in the human genome and structural disorder in the human proteome are connected, signalling such evolutionary mechanisms in the assembly of multi-exon genes. We found an elevated level of structural disorder of regions encoded by symmetric exons and a preferred symmetry of exons encoding for mostly disordered regions (>70% predicted disorder). Alternatively spliced symmetric exons tend to correspond to the most disordered regions. The genes of mostly disordered proteins (>70% predicted disorder) tend to be assembled from symmetric exons, which often arise by internal tandem duplications. Preponderance of certain types of short motifs (e.g. SH3-binding motif) and domains (e.g. high-mobility group domains) suggests that certain disordered modules have been particularly effective in exon-shuffling events. Our observations suggest that structural disorder has facilitated modular assembly of complex genes in evolution of the human genome. © 2013 The Author(s)
Function and Flexibility: Friend or Foe?
No full textLouis Sullivan (1856 - 1924) revolutionized architecture by designing the first skyscraper and he became famous by proclaiming that “form follows function”. When x-ray crystallographers visualized the structures of proteins for the first time, the structural biology field embraced the view that “function follows form” as the 3D-architecture of proteins could unveil various aspects of their function. Despite the original “1 gene - 1 protein structure - 1 function” relationship, nowadays a far more complicated picture emerges where the flexibility and dynamics of a protein can play a central role in a multitude of functions. The ultimate form(s) that a protein adopt when interacting with (a) partner molecule(s) are the most biologically relevant and in this context Sullivan’s quote is still appropriate: the conformation that the protein adopts follows from the function of that protein. Despite the fact that many well-characterized proteins have a well-folded structure, there is a growing interest in the conformational flexibility within proteins. This flexibility is also a balanced phenomenon: excess of flexibility can be detrimental for protein behaviour, as well as the lack thereof. Notwithstanding its importance, studying intrinsically disordered protein regions or conformational rearrangements can be a very challenging. Therefore, flexibility can be perceived as a friend or a foe, depending on the context. This e-book showcases the impact of the study of protein flexibility on the structural biology field and presents protein flexibility in the context of disease as well as its benign aspects. As detailed knowledge of the structural aspects of polypeptides remains essential to comprehend protein function, one of the future challenges for structural biology also lies with large macromolecular protein complexes. Also there the dynamics and flexibility are essential for proper functioning and molecular movement, which is an important aspect of living matter. This challenge stimulated the development of advanced techniques to study protein flexibility and the use of those techniques to address fundamental biological and biomedical problems. Those innovations should help us to unravel the intimate link between protein function and flexibility and explore new horizons
The Revitalization Movement of the Traditional Tompa Script of the Naxi in Lijiang, Yunnan Province in China
No full text中国雲南省の納西族は古くから漢文化を受容してきたことで知られている。
文化的および経済的に漢民族から大きな影響を受け，中央からみて周辺民族よ
り進んだいわゆる現代文明を享受してきた少数民族とされている。東巴教は，
この納西族に古くから伝わる民族宗教であり，その宗教祭司が用いてきたのが
東巴文字である。しかし納西族にとって東巴教および東巴文字に対する思い
は，時代とともに変わってきた。とくに1990 年代以降における観光業の発展
は，納西族と東巴文字の間にもっとも大きな変革をもたらすこととなった。本
稿は，麗江納西族と東巴文字の関係について，とくに東巴文字の伝承活動に注
目しながら，その変遷を叙述するとともに，変化の要因となる社会的背景を明
らかにしようとするものである。
この民族文化としての東巴文化の伝承活動は，中国のほかの少数民族と同様
に，中国の少数民族政策と大きく関わっていることは言うまでもない。しかし，
東巴文字およびそれを用いる納西族がおかれている言語的状況は，他の多くの
少数民族と比較しても特異なものである。例えば，東巴文字の伝承活動を考察
する上で，その宗教的性格や改革開放以後におけるこの地域の観光業の発展な
どとの深い関係は，中国の少数民族一般に対する言語政策とは同列にして論じ
る事はできないと考えられる。
そこで本論文では，文化大革命以前における東巴文字の歴史的盛衰，改革開
放以降における東巴文字の研究および保護の進展，1990 年代以降における東巴
文化に対する政策転換，などを時代背景に即して概観し，現在の東巴文字の伝
承活動の状況や課題についても論じたい。本来，宗教祭司だけのものであった
東巴文字は，現在，観光業を通して麗江納西族の日常生活と深く結びつき，多
様な社会的需要に応じて麗江各地で伝承活動が行われている。このような伝承
活動は，伝統的な目的や方法とは大きく異なるものであり，今では学校教育に
まで導入されつつある。いまだ十分に定着してはいないものの，伝承活動が推
進されるなかで，東巴文字が納西族の新たなアイデンティティー形成に影響を
与えつつあるといえよう。It is well known that the Naxi people in Yunnan, China, have been
strongly influenced since ancient times by Chinese culture. The Han Chinese
have had huge cultural and economic influences on the Naxi, as they have
on other ethnic minorities in the south of China, and recently their massive
impact is overwhelming the Naxi in terms of modernization. Yet the Naxi
have retained some cultural traits to this date, and some are even recovering
their foothold through cultural re-interpretation.
The Tompas, the priests of the “Tompa religion,” regarded as the “ethnic”
religion of the Naxi, traditionally used the Tompa script exclusively for their
religious purposes. But the use of the Tompa script almost ceased with the
decline of the “Tompa religion,” particularly during the course of the political
reform movements from 1949 through the Cultural Revolution, and later during
the modernization of China. But the recent rise of the tourism industry in
Yunnan in the 1990s and after has brought an epoch-making turn to the fate
of the Tompa script: first, by proving its commercial value in tourism ornaments,
and later by reinforcing consciousness among the Naxi of the Tompa
script as their ethnic symbol.
This paper, after surveying the decline of the Tompas’ activities and
social roles towards the end of the 1970s, describes the rehabilitation of
Tompa studies in the 80s, which were mainly concentrated on the preservation
of old Tompa documents. Then the author describes in detail, mainly on
the basis of interviews with persons concerned, the appearance of the Tompa
script in the tourism market, and the development of the revitalization movements
of Tompa culture, Tompas, and the script. In the discussion of these
developments against their social background, the favorable attitudes of both
the local governments and the political authorities towards the movements are
stressed. The use of the Tompa script, however, as a working orthography for
the Naxi language, which itself is shrinking in everyday usage, is exposed to
some serious theoretical questions such as in relation to the existing Latinized
(Pingying) orthography of the Naxi language developed in the 1950s. The
author further speculates on possible future conflicts between the extended
Naxi Tompa script movements and China’s minority nationality policy, which
is, particularly nowadays, reluctant to encourage nationalistic or ethnic awareness
among the minorities.departmental bulletin pape
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