This study aims to test the acculturation theory by researching the case of Russian-speaking female immigrants in Sweden. Special attention is given to the role of religious and spiritual practices in the acculturation and adaptation processes. The research is based on data collected during semi-structured interviews with nine Russian-speaking females residing in Sweden. The findings affirm that acculturation strategies chosen by Russian-speaking female immigrants corroborate the data received in previous equivalent studies. The correlation between language proficiency, employment, and length of stay with the choice of integration or assimilation was confirmed. It can be seen from this small sample that cultural context plays an enormous role in the choice of the strategy and the ability to accomplish it. Psychologically Russian-speaking women demonstrated a high level of tolerance and capability to resign themselves to the inevitable, implementing nevertheless their chosen strategy and not resigning. The study showed that religion or spirituality served as no barrier to integration or assimilation. Previous religious beliefs (if the woman had them) remained for private life and never interfered with the integration process which can be partially explained by the very nature of religiosity in Sweden described by the Swedish religious scholar David Thurfjell as “private religiosity”.

abstract: This dissertation explores the roles of ethnic minority cultural elites in the development of socialist culture in the Soviet Union from the mid-1930s through the late 1960s. Although Marxist ideology predicted the fading away of national allegiances under communism, Soviet authorities embraced a variety of administrative and educational policies dedicated to the political, economic, and cultural modernization of the country’s non-Russian populations. I analyze the nature and implementation of these policies from the perspective of ethnic Tatars, a Muslim Turkic group and contemporary Russia’s largest minority. Tatar cultural elites utilized Soviet-approved cultural forms and filled them with Tatar cultural content from both the pre-Revolutionary past and the socialist present, creating art and literature that they saw as contributing to both the Tatar nation and to Soviet socialism. I argue that these Tatar cultural elites believed in the emancipatory potential of Soviet socialism and that they felt that national liberation and national development were intrinsic parts of the Soviet experiment. Such idealism remained present in elite discourses through the 1930s, 1940s, and into the 1950s, but after Stalin’s death it was joined by open disillusionment with what some Tatars identified as a nascent Russocentrism in Soviet culture. The coexistence of these two strands of thought among Tatar cultural elites suggests that the integration of Tatar national culture into the broad, internationalist culture envisioned by Soviet authorities in Moscow was a complex and disputed process which produced a variety of outcomes that continue to characterize Tatar culture in the post-Soviet period. This dissertation is based on significant archival research and utilizes various state and Communist Party documents, as well as memoirs, letters, and other personal sources in both Russian and Tatar. It challenges traditional periodization by bridging the Stalin and post-Stalin eras and emphasizes on-the-ground developments rather than official state policy. Finally, it offers insight into the relationship between communism and ethnic difference and presents a nuanced vision of Soviet power that helps to explain the continuing role of nationalism in the contemporary Russian Federation and other post-communist states. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation History 2019

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The Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia, RWA), is a serious pest in most wheat producing countries around the world. Infestation of wheat fields by this pest has a severe economic impact, as a result of heavy losses in crop yield. Because of the importance of wheat as a food source and its ever growing supply demand, the study of wheat-Russian wheat aphid interactions on the molecular level are integral to the development of management strategies. This is highlighted by the fact that new RWA biotypes that overcome resistance in a number of wheat varieties, continually emerge. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to this endeavour, by elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which the RWA resistance gene Dn7 confers resistance to three different RWA biotypes (one from SA, and two from the USA). Firstly, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was applied in order to isolate transcripts differentially expressed in the RWA resistant wheat line, 94M370, carrying the Dn7 gene. There are two main advantages to this technique. One is that the relative representation of rare transcripts is increased in the subsequent cDNA population, and it is these low abundance transcripts that are arguably the ones of particular interest. Secondly, this method allows for the isolation of unknown transcripts, without the need for existing sequence information. Experiments with this method however, failed, leading to an investigation as to probable causes. The various steps involved in the SSH procedure were individually assessed in an attempt to identify and correct the problem. Various adjustments were made to PCR procedures, template enzyme digestions and ligation reactions, without success. After creating a basic cDNA-AFLP fingerprint from the existing cDNA template, in order to confirm that the template is not responsible for experimental difficulties – it was decided to apply a different strategy in order to meet research objectives. Consequently, the study on Dn7 mediated defence responses was continued with cDNA-AFLP. In addition to studying the response by Dn7 to South African biotype RWA infestation, its responses to infestation by two United States RWA biotypes was also explored. This allowed us to gain a greater comprehension of the methods by which Dn7 activates defences against different aphid eliciting agents. Findings suggest that this gene activates responses that are unique to each of the different aphid interactions. Although the interactions between Dn7 and the two US biotypes were very similar, this can possibly be explained by the fact that the differences between these two biotypes on molecular level are minuscule. Dn7 responds to the South African biotype of the RWA in a completely different manner, as judged by the very dissimilar expression patterns obtained during cDNA-AFLP analysis. Reasons for this phenomenon could include molecular differences between the South African and US RWA biotypes, differences in response generating elicitor molecules (which has indeed been shown to be the case between South African and US aphid biotypes), or a combination of both. The sequencing of fragments displaying differential expression patterns during cDNA-AFLP fingerprinting, provides us with additional information as to the exact mechanisms potentially involved. As expected, various compounds related to plant defence were identified, such as a number of Leucine rich repeat (LRR) domain containing proteins, genes related to cell signalling and genes involved in protein processing (proteases, peptidases). Finally, these results are consistent with theories that Dn7 may recognise and interact with its distinct aphid elicitors either directly, by the presence of multiple bindings sites on the same protein, or indirectly. In that case, in accordance with the guard hypothesis, Dn7 may simply monitor interactions between aphid elicitors and other recognition factors- after which a response cascade is activated. Useful potential research would focus on Dn7 itself, including mapping, isolation as well as structural and functional characterization. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Genetics / unrestricted

In this thesis, I am presenting several methods of Czech-to-Russian ma- chine translation, including both historical approaches and more modern ones, and including both phrase-based and rule-based systems. I am rst brie y describing the linguistic background of Czech and Russian, and their common history and di er- ences. en, I am describing automating, building and improving some o he ma- chine translation systems, together with their comparison, using both an automated metric and a limited human annotation. Meanwhile, I am also describing the creation of a several corpora of Czech-Russian parallel data and Russian monolingual data.

Diploma Thesis Media in Hybrid War: Pro-Kremlin websites as tools of the Russian propaganda in the Czech Republic analyzes Pro-kremlin websites in the Czech Republic by the method of thematic discourse analysis. The spread of propaganda through the internet, currently the fastest growing media, has become one of the crucial elements of hybrid wars. The first part of the thesis represents the theoretical basis for the second, practically oriented part of the thesis. After a thorough analysis of the relevant theoretical background of hybrid wars and propaganda in the first chapter, the thesis focuses on the operation of Pro-Kremlin propaganda on the Internet, with a focus on the characteristics of this propaganda in the Czech Republic, in the second chapter. Consequently, the third chapter presents the methodology of the analytical part of the thesis, the selection of data for analysis and the definition of analytical categories. The following fourth chapter focuses on the thematic discourse analysis itself and interpretation of its findings. The analysis is a study of the discourse through which Pro-Kremlin websites construct an alternative world, where peaceful and at the same time militarily and economically strong Russia is the only alternative of the decomposing imperialist West. Besides, the...

This dissertation examines key texts from the intermediate and mature periods of Vasily Grossman’s career in order to determine the relationship between his evolving philosophy and the poetics that characterize his writing. While significant critique has been applied to the nature of Grossman’s philosophy, comparatively less has looked at the aesthetic and technical aspects of his writing itself; still less to the connection between Grossman’s abstract concepts and his accomplished texts. My effort has been to bridge the gap between these two areas of inquiry and to ascertain the quality of their tightly intertwined and complex relationship. I analyze four of Grossman’s key texts in depth, with reference to several other writings. Of the primary texts considered in my study, two are essays from the writer’s intermediate period: “The Hell of Treblinka” («Треблинский ад») and “The Sistine Madonna” («Сикстинская мадонна»);” of the two longer works, one is Grossman’s multi-volume masterpiece novel Life and Fate (Жизнь и судьба) and the other is his novella (повесть) and final fictional work Everything Flows (Все течет). These texts were chosen for their aptness at demonstrating key features of Grossman’s prosody and philosophical thinking, both those that remained constant and those that evolved over time. The following study establishes that Grossman’s writing itself, by means of the formal structures he employs throughout his works, constitutes the embodiment and realization of his ethics. Specifically, the following work considers modes of movement and generation in Grossman’s writing that speak to the value he places on the individual human experience.

<p>This dissertation examines the transnational realities of Russian immigrants in the United States. Drawing insights from personal accounts, I discuss immigrants’ motives to immigrate to the United States and to stay connected to their homeland. I illustrate that political and economic factors, as well as the goals to enhance professional and personal lives, have shaped immigrants’ decisions to come to the United States. At the same time, I show that determined to fulfill their social and civic responsibilities, Russian immigrants maintain ties to their families and friends back in Russia and also remain civically engaged in Russian society.</p><p></p> <p>This dissertation also illustrates that a more intricate understanding of Russian immigrants today cannot be achieved in isolation from the political relations between Russia and the United States that have been rapidly deteriorating since 2014. There are different ways that Russian immigrants respond to the geopolitical divide between the two nation-states. Some Russian immigrants, for example, condemn Russia’s foreign policy and global political behavior. Their criticism is often met with hostilities from Russians who have not emigrated. Other Russian immigrants, on the other hand, disapprove U.S. actions toward Russia and Russian society and consequently encounter antagonisms in the United States. These immigrants recount their experiences of exclusion from the U.S. social fabric. There are also those Russian immigrants who question international acts of the political leaders of both countries. Coping with antagonistic attitudes from Russian and U.S. societies toward their political views and/or ethnic background, these individuals emphasize a growing detachment from both nations. Based on individual accounts, I argue that the contemporary tensions that have emerged between the two nations-states create a barrier to the development of a transnational identity among Russian immigrants. Specifically, living in a hostile political environment, Russian immigrants do not share a simultaneous sense of belonging in relation to Russia and the United States. </p> <p>By focusing on Russian immigrants’ experiences with U.S.-Russia relations, this dissertation also brings to light individual efforts to contest confrontations that shape the political landscape between Russia and the United States. As transnational subjects with cross-border ties and lives, Russian immigrants utilize their transnational positions and cultural competencies to impact international views of Russian and U.S. nationals. They frequently resort to transnational dialogues and socio-cultural acts to raise social awareness and sympathies between their home and host nations. By developing and investing their efforts into improving U.S.-Russia ties, the ultimate goal that Russian immigrants seek to achieve is to discourage members of Russian and U.S. societies from seeing each other as enemy nations. </p>

Piano teachers tend to approach pedagogy by treating technical studies and repertoire as separate parts of the curriculum, often using etudes by Charles-Louis Hanon, Josef Pischna, and Carl Czerny to build the student's technique. Yet, although these methods are popular, pedagogues disagree about their value. In any case, many pieces suitable for intermediate pianists integrate technique and musicality, such as Friedrich Burgmüller's 25 Etudes, Op. 100, Muzio Clementi's Preludes and Exercises, Op. 43, and Ignaz Moscheles's 24 Etudes, Op. 70. Although these exercises can indeed build technique through intermediate-level recital pieces, many similar piano works from the Russian school are rarely used, and yet they could better serve students who will eventually move on to the advanced Russian piano repertoire. This paper provides a pedagogical guide for introducing technical skills through various levels of the Russian piano repertoire. The guide focuses on technique in the context of musical expression, especially tone production, wrist motion, and finger technique, progressing systematically through elementary, intermediate, and advanced Russian piano pieces, composed in a Romantic style—both elegant and rich with melody and expression. The repertoire used as examples should develop the finger technique as well as the musicality of the student. The examples come from nineteenth-century Russian Piano School composers such as Reinhold Glière, Alexander Goedicke, Samuel Maykapar, Semyon Barmotin, and Anton Arensky.

When her father dies unexpectedly and under mysterious circumstances, Veronika embarks on a journey spanning three continents to uncover the truth about his life as well as her own hidden past growing up in the war-torn region of Moldova.