This thesis is a critical study and translation into English of Mikhail Zoshchenko's long story "Michel Siniagin", including a critical analysis of the text of "Michel Siniagin" in relation to other work by the same writer, and a discussion of the specific problems raised by Zoshchenko's work for the English language translator. The first chapter of the thesis is devoted to language and style in Zoshchenko's work. "Michel Siniagin" and the related cycle of "Sentimental Tales" are viewed in the context of the author's broader stylistic project. The chapter opens with a discussion of skaz in Zoshchenko's short stories as a reflection of early Soviet socio-linguistic reality and as an attempt to expand literary narrative beyond the discourse of the educated classes. It goes on to describe the emergence of a parodic semi-educated writer figure in the "Sentimental Tales", whose literary style parodies the democratisation of culture in post-revolutionary Russia and the attempts of those in authority to create a proletarian classical literature or "Red Lev Tolstoi". Some of the specific stylistic features of "Michel Siniagin" are then examined in greater detail. The second chapter explores some of the more important thematic elements of "Michel Siniagin" and the "Sentimental Tales". It aims to show the thematic continuity of Zoshchenko's work and to emphasise intertextual connections with contemporary literary developments and topical social and philosophical questions. This chapter also explores the autobiographical element in "Michel Siniagin" and looks at the significance for Zoshchenko of the real life beggar-poet Aleksandr Tiniakov, who served as the inspiration for the anti-hero Siniagin. The third chapter is devoted to the problems of literary translation. It begins with a defence of practical, critically engaged models of translation theory, arguing that when theory becomes divorced from practice, it tends to stray into abstract and perfectionist discourse and to distort the reality of translation as it actually happens. The chapter summarises recent arguments in favour of free/dynamic versus literal/formal translation strategies. It then examines how the specific nature of Zoshchenko' s work affects the translator's choice of strategy, comparing the effectivity of some previous translations of Zoshchenko' s short stories. The final part of this chapter looks at the problems posed by the deliberately clumsy prose style of Zoshchenko' s fictional "author" in "Michel Siniagin" and the "Sentimental Tales", compares my own translation with existing translations. It is argued that interference from foreign cultural associations is more detrimental to the humour and spirit of Zoshchenko' s work than interference from so-called "translationese".The penultimate chapter of the thesis explores the impact of self-censorship and censorship on Zoshchenko's work in general and on "Michel Siniagin" in particular, comparing different versions of the text of "Michel Siniagin" and describing amendments made to the text by Zoshchenko at manuscript stage and by editors at later stages in its history.

This study aims to document the dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental record of the Maastrichtian Neylandville and Corsicana Formations and the lower part of the Danian Kincaid Formation from the Brazos River, Texas. Rock samples are exposed to standard palynological methods for biostratigraphic interpretations. The quantitative data collected from palynological samples are combined with δ13C and δ18O stable isotope geochemistry and TEX86 and BIT Index organic geochemistry data for paleoenvironmental interpretations. Biostratigraphically important species of dinoflagellates divide the section into three intervals. Interval 1 occurs within the Neylandville Formation, and the presence of Alterbidinium acutulum, Xenascus ceratioides and Isabelidinium cooksoniae indicate that this interval is not younger than early Maastrichtian. Interval 2 represents the Corsicana Formation. The presence of the late Maastrichtian species Disphaerogena carposphaeropsis, Palynodinium grallator and Deflandrea galeata at the base of the Corsicana Formation indicate that this interval is of late Maastrichtian age. Interval 3 occurs within the Kincaid Formation. The presence of Carpetalla cornuta and Damassadinium californicum at the base of the Kincaid Formation indicates that this interval is of Danian age. Previously published Gulf of Mexico palynology studies, as well as planktonic foraminifera and nannoplankton data confirm the age assignments of the studied interval. Dinoflagellate species assemblages increase in diversity upwards from Interval 1 to Interval 2, and then show a small decrease above the K-Pg boundary within Interval 3, indicating that the K-Pg event was not catastrophic for the dinoflagellates. The Cerodinium spp. and Spiniferites spp. complex comprise a large proportion of the species within the section. High abundance peaks of Glaphyrocysta spp., Cribroperidinium spp., and Yolkinigymnium lanceolatum occur within Interval 2. Two intervals in the section are dominated by peridinioid dinoflagellates, measured by the Peridinioid/Gonyaulacoid (P/G) ratio. The first one occurs within Interval 2 and contains peaks of the P/G ratio that correlate with increases in δ13C, suggestive of an increase in paleoproductivity. Two more peaks occur within Interval 3. Bottom water δ18O temperatures determined from benthic foraminifera and sea surface temperatures determined from TEX86 organic geochemistry show an overall cooling trend from Early Maastrichtian to the K-Pg boundary.

This thesis is the first long work which focuses on the issue of time in Crnjanski's four major novels. It aims to demonstrate the complexity of time in his novels, in relation both to the organisation of narrative events, and to the characters' experience and perception of self. It shows ways in which Crnjanski's views on time are reflected in the language and construction of his novels. Part One, Chapter One, outlines the life and literary career of Milo. Crnjanski. It views his workagainst the background of modernism, and locates him in Serbian literary history. Part Two begins the discussion of time in Crnjanski's work in relation to his personal style known as sumatraism. Chapter Two focuses on two of his early essays, what they reveal about his approach to time, and identifies the principles of simultaneity and rhythm which characterise his thinking about time. The analysis emphasises time as a part of wider issues concerning language, the individual, values, and history in his novels. Chapter Three takes up the issue of time in relation to language and narrative structure in his early novels. Chapter Four continues the analysis of time in relation to narrative structure, and particularly in relation to the orchestration of voice in his later work. Part Three opens with discussion of major motifs in Crnjanski's novels which demonstrate the issue of identity as a constant theme. Chapter Five focuses on time in relation to identity and the problem of being-in-time as expressed in his first and last novels. Chapter Six continues the analysis of time and identity in his other two novels, viewing identity in the context of social institutions and history. Chapter Seven summarises the major conclusions arising from this analysis of time in Crnjanski's novels. The arguments presented are used to qualify statements concerning time in his novels which have been made by some commentators.

This study undertakes an examination of the life and works of the satirist Vladimir Voinovich, set in the context of satire in general, and in particular against the changing political, ideological and artistic background of the Soviet Union and the new Russia. It is demonstrated that in certain respects he is typical of his generation and in others an exception. The analysis shows how Voinovich's work gradually diverged from the accepted norms of Socialist Realism, leading him into conflict with the state and into increasingly satirical modes of expression. It is suggested that every satirist is to some extent an exile, since detachment is required from the society which is the object of the satirical impulse. The notion is studied that Voinovich became firstly an ideological exile, and compounded this with a form of chronological exile by expressing himself satirically at the `wrong' time, before consequently becoming also a geographical exile. Detailed attention is paid to his novel “Zhizn' i neobychainye prikliucheniia soldata Ivana Chonkina”, which proved to be a turning point in both his life and work. The hero of this novel has his pedigree in the Russian tradition of the plainspeaking fool Ivanushka-durachok who wins out in spite of circumstances, and it is suggested that he shares certain characteristics with his creator. The writing of Chonkin sealed Voinovich's fate as an emerging `dissident', and after its unauthorised publication abroad, he was persuaded to leave the Soviet Union. In emigration the question arose of how to engage relevantly with his readership in the rapidly changing Soviet Union. Despite the trauma of dislocation, Voinovich continued to write creatively in emigration and then in partial return to post-glasnost' Russia. The new Russia provides fertile ground for satire, but the returning satirist faces the question, now and in the future, of what type of expression is appropriate in a nascent democracy which he instinctively wishes to protect and support, rather than censure. Voinovich's solutions are diverse, and sometimes unexpected

I. A phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) deficient variant cell line, R1.1.7, derived from the Chinese hamster ovary cell line, CHO-K1, is used as a recipient in the development of a DNA-mediated transfection system designed for the study of in vivo expression of exogenous PGK gene sequences. II. Several PGK DNA sequences are detected in the Chinese hamster genome by hybridisation of genomic DNA digests with a human PGK cDNA probe. A number of these sequences are shown to be X-linked. Four of the PGK sequences observed in the blot hybridisations are isolated from a CHO-K1 DNA genomic library and analysed by probing with different regions of the PGK cDNA, heteroduplex mapping and DNA sequencing. One of these sequences is a 572 bp exon from the functional X-linked PGK gene (PGK-1) which is expressed in all somatic cells. The three remaining PGK sequences are intronless pseudogenes which were apparently derived independently, from an ancestral Chinese hamster PGK gene, within the last 50 million years. They exhibit features typical of 'processed' pseudogenes which are generated via an mRNA intermediate and integrated into breaks in the chromosomal DNA.

The pathogen C. jejuni is now recognised as the leading cause of bacterial foodborne enteritis in the industrial world. The yearly estimate for Campylobacter infections in the United States alone is 2.4 million people or 1% of the population. Illness caused by C. jejuni is self-limiting, however, some individuals develop complications resulting in autoimmune responses. Despite being a major health burden, the pathogenic process is not fully understood. One aspect of importance is the ability of C. jejuni to adhere to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), such as heparin. GAGs, sulphated carbohydrates expressed on or in host cells, can serve as receptors for bacterial proteins. In the first study, five heparin-binding proteins of C. jejuni NCTC 11168H were identified. For PEB3 (Cj0289c), this work showed that native wild-type PEB3 and purified recombinant PEB3 produced in E. coli bind heparin. The location of two PEB3 heparin-binding clusters: 62KAKKD65 and 122NKKVRI127, was investigated via site-directed mutagenesis, resulting in impaired heparin-binding. These data suggest GAG-protein-binding may play a role in the pathogenesis of C. jejuni. As well as GAG-binding PEB3 binds 3-PG. Though its exact in vivo role remains unclear, it may act to deliver 3-PG. Scrutiny of the C. jejuni NCTC 11168H genome revealed an uncharacterised gene next to peb3 encoding glpT, or a putative 3-PG transporter. The location of glpT adjacent to peb3 may suggest a related function for the corresponding proteins with PEB3 as the periplasmic binding partner for the transport of 3-PG via GlpT. In this thesis, the roles of peb3 and glpT for two independent phenotypes, 3-PG dependent growth and fosfomycin sensitivity was studied in vitro. The findings indicate glpT has an effect on both, but not peb3. Furthermore, the NCTC 11168H glpT pseudogene, despite containing two frameshift mutations, has the capacity to encode a functional protein. Lastly, the NCTC 11168H peb3/glpT locus was compared with other C. jejuni strains and closely related species C. coli, C. lari and C. upsaliensis genome sequences. The majority of strains peb3/glpT locus followed the gene arrangement lpxB, peb3, glpT, surE. However, the findings indicate the gene loci between lpxB/surE in remaining strains to be hypervariable. Further analysis shows peb3 to be relatively conserved, whereas, the majority of glpT genes display genetic diversity due to interruptions such as indels and deletion. Lastly, I display the organisation of the peb3/glpT locus and glpT structure in their evolutionary context through MLST. In summary, the findings provide for further characterisation of the PEB3 protein and explores the importance of the uncharacterised GlpT of C. jejuni.

Vladimir Nabokov, throughout a literary career spanning six decades, five countries, three languages, two continents and two calendars, was an inveterate reviser, constantly changing, translating and altering his own works. Indeed, Nabokov himself acknowledged that ‘even the dream I describe to my wife across the breakfast table is only a first draft’ (SO, xv). The very process of writing was, for Nabokov, inextricably linked with the act of revision. In his memoirs, for example, Nabokov compares his father’s handwritten texts, which were produced in ‘slanted, beautifully sleek, unbelievably regular hand, almost free of corrections’, against his ‘own mousy hand and messy drafts […] the massacrous revisions and rewritings, and new revisions, of the very lines in which I am taking two hours to describe a two-minute run of his flawless handwriting’ (SM, 139). This thesis will examine the deliberate, visible revisions, which Nabokov leaves purposefully within his fiction. The first category of revision, developmental revision, represents the evolutionary arc of central thematic matter within the author’s work. Secondly, fictional revisions are those implemented within the individual narratives of Nabokov’s texts, which are assigned as the work of Nabokov’s author-characters. Transtextual revision is carried out across texts and languages, creating links between individual works. Finally, extratextual revision, which is implemented to the individual text from an external vantage point, leads to the destabilisation of these texts as a result of Nabokov’s authorial intrusions. Taken together, these deliberately visible revisions destabilise the autonomy of texts, causing them to become incomplete. This results in a cohesive, self-reflexive oeuvre, within which all component parts can be seen together. This results in a dynamic model of oeuvre construction, which leads to the formation of what will be termed a ‘supertext’, that is a fully connected oeuvre, which has only its own self as reference.

The liver maintains lipid homeostasis in the body by uptake, synthesis and delivery of lipid molecules. An important component is very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) which is by hepatocytes. The significance of this molecule lies in the fact that abnormal VLDL metabolism may lead to NAFLD, fibrotic liver, or atherosclerotic heart diseases in humans. Intracellular VLDL transport tightly regulates its secretion from the liver. Our prior research studies have demonstrated that this transport process relies on ATP, GTP, and the presence of cytosolic proteins, suggesting the involvement of protein phosphorylation. To delve deeper into the mechanisms governing VLDL secretion, our laboratory has initiated a study aimed at identifying the role of specific protein kinases responsible for VLDL phosphorylation and subsequent secretion in human hepatoma cells. Utilizing various small molecule inhibitors, such as H89 dihydrochloride, Akti-1/2 and Calphostin C targeting Protein Kinase A, B, and C, respectively, we employed a pulse-chase assay supplemented with radioactive 3H-oleic acid-based Scintillation Counting and Western Blot analyses to identify the VLDL secretion. Findings from Western Blot analysis of VLDL protein-ApoB100 levels in the cell culture media, revealing a significant reduction in ApoB100 secretion from hepatocytes upon inhibition of the protein kinase C family. The distribution of intracellular VLDL molecules have also been shown to be higher in protein kinase C inhibition indicating lower secretion with the treatment. Furthermore, the pulse chase assay followed by immunocytochemistry-based imaging led to the finding that both ER to Golgi and post-Golgi trafficking is disturbed with the inhibition of protein kinase C. This study provides valuable insights into the intricate mechanisms underlying VLDL secretion from the liver, shedding light on the pivotal role of specific protein kinases in this process.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-04-04T11:57:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 leticiastephantavares.pdf: 1145142 bytes, checksum: 8dd69d31541451cdce69de313d2a2aa6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-04-04T15:35:32Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 leticiastephantavares.pdf: 1145142 bytes, checksum: 8dd69d31541451cdce69de313d2a2aa6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-04T15:35:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 leticiastephantavares.pdf: 1145142 bytes, checksum: 8dd69d31541451cdce69de313d2a2aa6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-12 / A busca por novos antibióticos de amplo espectro de ação tem aumentado nas últimas décadas devido ao número crescente de bactérias resistentes aos antibióticos convencionais. O peptídeo recombinante Pg-AMP1, expresso em um sistema heterólogo em Escherichia coli, apresentou atividade antibacteriana contra linhagens Gram-positivas e Gram-negativas. A partir da seqüência de aminoácidos do peptídeo isolado de sementes de goiaba (Psidium guajava L.) o gene correspondente ao peptídeo foi modificado utilizando-se o códon preferencial para expressão em E. coli e construído um vetor de expressão. Uma região codificadora para cauda de histidina foi fusionada ao gene pg-amp1 permitindo a purificação por cromatografia de afinidade com íons de níquel imobilizados em coluna de sefarose. Utilizando SDS-PAGE e análise in sílico identificamos a massa molecular do PgAMP1 recombinante de 7,368 kDa e pI 8.93. O peptídeo recombinante foi expresso principalmente na forma insolúvel, agregando-se em corpos de inclusão que foram tratados com agentes desnaturantes obtendo o peptídeo solúvel. Após a purificação pela coluna de níquel obtivemos um rendimento de 13 mg por litro de meio de cultura. O peptídeo Pg-AMP1 recombinante apresentou atividade contra as bactérias Gram-negativas Escherichia coli e Pseudomonas aeruginosa e contra as Grampositivas Staphylococcus aureus e Staphylococcus epidermides. O peptídeo recombinante Pg-AMP1 não mostrou atividade contra os fungos fitopatogênicos testados. Devido a sua ação contra estas cepas de bactérias patogênicas humanas, o Pg-AMP1 recombinante torna-se um promissor antimicrobiano a ser utilizado no desenvolvimento de novos antibióticos contra cepas resistentes aos fármacos comumente usados. / The search for new antibiotics of broad spectrum of activity has increased in recent decades due to the increasing number of bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. The Pg-AMP1 recombinant peptide expressed in a heterologous system in Escherichia coli, strains showed antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative. From the sequence of amino acid peptide isolated from the seeds of guava (Psidium guajava L.) peptide corresponding to the gene was modified using the preferred codon for expression in E. coli and constructed a vector for expression. A region coding for the histidine tail was merged the gene-pg amp1 allowing purification by affinity chromatography with nickel ions immobilized on the column sepharose. Using SDS-PAGE and in silico analysis identified the molecular weight of Pg-AMP1 recombinant with 7.368 kDa and pI 8.93. The recombinant peptide was expressed mostly as insoluble form, adding up in inclusion bodies, which were treated with denaturants agents to solubilize the peptide. The purification of peptide by nickel sepharose column yielded 13 mg per liter of culture medium. The Pg-AMP1 recombinant peptide showed activity against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The recombinant peptide Pg-AMP1 showed no activity against the phytopathogenic fungi tested. Due to its action against these strains of human pathogenic bacteria, the recombinant Pg-AMP1 is a promising antimicrobial for use in developing new antibiotics against strains resistant to commonly used drugs.