M. A.

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Titles in English and German / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

The construct internal-external locus of control was utilized to examine the Soviet Pentecostal refugees' perception of life experiences in the United States as defined by three dimensions: social, economical, and political. Unlike the majority of immigration research, which focuses on structural variables, this research further addressed the concept of acculturation as a long term process of resettlement. Subjects completed an anonymous forced choice questionnaire consisting of the Rotter (1966) locus of control instrument scale. Pearson Product moment correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the strength of the relationships between the internal-external locus of control scores and five factor analyzed life experience categories. Positive and sometimes strong correlations could be found between the internal-external locus of control scores and the five life experience factors. All five hypotheses were confirmed by the results.

"July 2004" / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-68) / 257, 68 leaves : ill. (some col.), map ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, Discipline of English, 2004

Rund 20 Jahre nach dem Ende der Sowjetunion verharrt ein Großteil ländlich geprägter Regionen in der Russländischen Föderation in einer strukturellen Krise, die sich auf ökonomischer, sozialer und politischer Ebene niederschlägt. Auch wenn sich ländliche Räume als vermeintliche Verlierer der Transformation erwiesen haben, so sind sie doch vielfach in sich differenziert und zeigen verschiedenartige Problemlagen und Entwicklungspfade auf, die vom Umgang mit den Herausforderungen des Systemwechsels zeugen. Beispielhaft wird dies am Deutschen Nationalen Rayon Altai (DNR Altai) dargestellt, dessen Transformationsphase in der vorliegenden Arbeit rekonstruiert wird. Der DNR Altai stellt in vielerlei Hinsicht einen Sonderfall dar, da er als räumlicher Fixpunkt russlanddeutscher Entwicklungspolitik in die bundesdeutsche Förderkulisse eingebettet war. Mit dem allmählichen Rückzug der deutschen Förderinstitutionen stellt sich jedoch die Frage nach nachhaltigen Strukturen, Verstetigung von Projekten und der Zukunft russlanddeutscher Kultur im Altai.

[Truncated abstract] Molokans are a Russian sectarian community that has been a transnational diasporic community since their exile from southern Russia in 1839. During the 1839 exodus they were relocated to Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. These countries make up a region referred to by Molokans as Transcaucasia located in and around the Caucasus Mountains. A further migration to Turkmenistan followed in 1889. Since that time, Molokans have settled in Iran, the United States of America, Mexico, Australia and Brazil. The colonies in Brazil and Mexico have disbanded with members re-joining Molokan communities in the United States of America and Australia. The communities remain in contact with one another and with various Molokan communities still existing in the Russian Soviet Socialist Federal Republic. Molokans are characterised by a religious structure of lay ministers and elders in a traditional, patriarchal social community. They are a collectivity of churches (there is no hierarchy between the churches) and sub-groups who practise varying degrees of adherence to Molokan dogma. They are a millenarian, charismatic religious community similar to Pentecostals and Anabaptists with the exception that they have ceased to evangelise and have become ‘closed’ communities practising endogamy. Given their closed structure, relatively little is known about this group in mainstream society . . . Spirituality, in the form of prophecy, healing, and the shared expression of religious ecstasy (rejoicing in the Holy Spirit) provides a sense of communitas that helps to bind the communities. Persecution in Russia and in the United States of America promoted mistrust of outsiders and contributed to the closure of social boundaries. Interventionist and reform activities in both Russia and the United States of America reinforced the belief that social closure was the only way to maintain cultural continuity. Their shared history of migration and persecution contributes to the building of a core community identity.

Titles in English and German / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

Die Umwandlung in wasserlösliche Verbindungen, die renal ausgeschieden werden können, ist ein grundlegendes Prinzip im Abbau von Fremdstoffen. Hierbei unterscheidet man Phase-I- und Phase-II-Reaktionen. Die Aktivität vieler Phase-I- und Phase-II-Enzyme ist genetisch beeinflusst und kann starke interindividuelle Unterschiede im Metabolismus von Fremdstoffen verursachen und dadurch das Krebsrisiko und das Risiko für Arzneimittelnebenwirkungen beeinflussen. Die Häufigkeitsverteilungen der Allele der Gene, die Phase-I- und Phase-II-Enzyme kodieren, zeigen eine große interethnische Varianz. Die Polymorphismen dieser Enzyme wurden bisher jedoch noch nicht in der größten slawischen Volksgruppe, der russischen, untersucht. An der vorliegenden Studie nahm eine Gruppe von 325 Personen russischer Abstammung teil - gesunde Probanden bzw. Patienten, die nicht an einer malignen Erkrankung litten. Die Polymorphismen von zwei Enzymen der Phase I, CYP1A1 und CYP2D6, und von einem Enzym der Phase II, NAT2, wurden mittels PCR-RFLP-Genotypisierung und Real-time-PCR-Verfahren komplett untersucht. Die Häufigkeit der CYP1A1 Allele mit hoher Aktivität, CYP1A1*2A und CYP1A1*2B, betrug 4,6% (3,1%-6,5%) bzw. 5,1% (3,5%-7,1%). Die Häufigkeiten der genetischen Varianten von CYP1A1 waren: m1 (3801T>C) - 9,8% (95% Vertrauensbereich, 7,7%-12,4%), m2 (2455A>G) - 5,0% (95% VB, 3,5%-7,1%), m4 (2453C>A) - 2,5% (1,4%-4,0%), m5 (-4335G>A) - 25,8% (22,5%-29,4%), m6 (-3219C>T) - 6,0% (4,3%-8,1%), und m7 (-3229G>A) - 2,9% (1,8%-4,5%). Die Mutation m3, die bisher nur bei Afrikaner gefunden wurde, konnten wir nicht nachweisen. 5,9% (3,5%-9,2%) aller Probanden waren CYP2D6 Langsam-Metabolisierer und 3,4% (1,7%-6,3%) wurden als Ultraschnell-Metabolisierer identifiziert (CYP2D6*1x1/*1). Bei der Genotypisierung von acht verschiedenen Punktmutationen im NAT2-Gen ergab sich für 59,7% (54,1%-65,1%) der Studienteilnehmer ein Genotyp, der mit einer Langsam-Acetylierer-Status einhergeht. 34,7% (29,6%-40,2%) der Probanden hatten ein und 5,6% (3,3%-8,6%) zwei für die Schnellacetylierung kodierende Allele. Die Allelverteilung der für die wichtigsten Enzyme im Arzneimittelstoffwechsel kodierenden Gene ist bei Russen ähnlich wie bei anderen Kaukasiern. Es kann deshalb erwartet werden, dass die genetisch-bedingten Unterschiede in der Wirksamkeit und im Auftreten von Arzneimittelnebenwirkungen in der russischen Bevölkerung vergleichbar sind mit denen in anderen europäischen Populationen. / The basic principle of drug and xenobiotic metabolism in the body is to make them more water soluble and thus more readily excreted in the urine. Genetic polymorphisms of phases I and II xenobiotic transformation reactions are known to contribute considerably to interindividual variations in the metabolism of numerous drugs and xenobiotics and to associate with altered risk of adverse drug reactions and some cancers. The frequency of functionally important mutations and alleles of genes coding for xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes shows a wide ethnic variation. However, little is known of the frequency distribution of the major allelic variants in the Russian population. In this study we investigated 325 individuals of Russian origin, who were healthy volunteers or patients without malignant diseases. Our study included the complete investigation of two enzymes of phase I, CYP1A1 and CYP2D6, and one phase II enzyme, NAT2, using PCR-RFLP genotyping and LightCycler method. The frequencies of the CYP1A1 high-activity alleles, CYP1A1*2A and CYP1A1*2B, were 4.6% (3.1%-6.5%) and 5.1% (3.5%-7.1%), respectively. The mutations m1 (3801T>C), m2 (2455A>G), m4 (2453C>A), m5 (-4335G>A), m6 (-3219C>T), and m7 (-3229G>A) of CYP1A1 occurred in 9.8% (95% confidence interval, 7.7%-12.4%), 5.0% (95% C. I., 3.5%-7.1%), 2.5% (1.4%-4.0%), 25.8% (22.5%-29.4%), 6.0% (4.3%-8.1%), and 2.9% (1.8%-4.5%) of alleles, respectively. We did not find the m3 mutation, which has only been detected in Africans up to now. 5.9% (3.5%-9.2%) of all subjects were CYP2D6 poor metabolizers, whereas 3.4% (1.7%-6.3%) were identified as ultra-rapid metabolizers (CYP2D6*1x1/*1). Genotyping eight different single nucleotide polymorphisms in the NAT2 gene provided a genotype associated with slow acetylation in 59.7% (54.1%-65.1%) of individuals, 34.7% (29.6%-40.2%) of participants carried at least one allele encoding rapid acetylation, and 5.6% (3.3%-8.6%) were homozygous for the rapid-acetylation allele (wild-type allele *4 or mutant allele *12A). The overview of allele distribution of the important drug and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes among Russians shows that the allele frequency is similar to that of other Caucasians. Therefore it may be expected that drug side effects and efficacy problems due to an individual's genetic background are similar compared to those in other European populations.

This study was motivated by a variety of democratic experience in the world that interchangeably perplexes and inspires students of politics. To understand the processes by which democracies emerge, this study was launched to examine new democracies from a discursive perspective. Four main questions guided the inquiry: (1) Is there a rhetorical/discursive counterpart to the process of democratization? (2) If so, what are the rhetorical features and markers of democratic changes? (3) What specific discursive practices correlate with growth and/or decline of democracy? and (4) What practical value might there be to having a more sensitive measure of democratic growth and/or decline? To answer these questions, a critical discourse analysis was conducted on two genres of Russian public discourse juxtaposing lay (letters to the editor) and elite (editorials) voices in three national periodicals during four election seasons between 1996 and 2008. The analysis of lay discourse revealed (a) that ordinary Russians enjoy expressing their opinions, (b) that they are argumentative, (c) that their repertoire of political voices is rather small, and (d) that their discussions are gradually sliding toward trivial matters. These findings portrayed a public that is attentive to public affairs and speaks out in a forum. Elite voices, on the other hand, were found (e) to be mesmerized by politics, (f) to think of the political world as detached from ordinary life, and (g) to envision the audience of ironic bystanders. Together, these findings pointed to a conclusion that ordinary Russians are rarely summoned either to renew democracy or to improve upon it. Consequently, they rarely identify themselves as true democrats, although many of their discursive practices resemble those that are thought of as a staple of the democratic public sphere. / text