SUMMARY New volunteering traditions have presently been emerging in Lithuania. Volunteer work complements the governmental network of social security as well as satisfies relevant demands of the society. Volunteers devote their own time to satisfy the needs of other people without any pay. They establish non-governmental organizations intended to render social assistance to different social groups of the population. The objective of this paper is aimed at optimizing volunteer activities in non-governmental organizations (NGO) which provide social assistance to children. The objective of the research is to theoretically and empirically develop the motivation of volunteers, to reveal the importance of their motivation and preparation to work with children optimizing the activities of NGOs. The content of the present research includes analytical survey of NGO volunteer activities: the concept of volunteer activities NGO in Lithuania; the target of volunteering if defined as children of risky group social development; motivation of volunteer activities and preparation to work with children. Motivation theories have also been reviewed as well as motivation factors inside the organization and training of volunteers. Results of research volunteer activities in NGOs have also been presented. The outcome of the research is the following: altruistic motives and the need to socialize stimulate volunteers to volunteering activities. The substance of volunteer needs is generally formed... [to full text]

Cell growth and proliferation are processes in the cell that must be tightly regulated. Transcription of ribosomal RNA and ribosomal biogenesis are directly linked to cell growth and proliferation, since the ribosomal RNA encodes for the majority of transcription in a cell and ribosomal biogenesis influences directly the number of proteins that are synthesized. In the work presented in this thesis, we have investigated the ribosomal RNA genes, namely the ribosomal DNA genes and the 5S rRNA genes, and their transcriptional regulation. One protein complex that is involved in RNA polymerase I and III transcription is the chromatin remodelling complex B‑WICH (WSTF, SNF2h, NM1). RNA polymerase I transcribes the rDNA gene, while RNA polymerase III transcribes the 5S rRNA gene, among others. In Study I we determined the mechanism by which B‑WICH is involved in regulating RNA polymerase I transcription. B‑WICH is associated with the rDNA gene and was able to create a more open chromatin structure, thereby facilitating the binding of HATs and the subsequent histone acetylation. This resulted in a more active transcription of the ribosomal DNA gene. In Study II we wanted to specify the role of NM1 in RNA polymerase I transcription. We found that NM1 is not capable of remodelling chromatin in the same way as B‑WICH, but we demonstrated also that NM1 is needed for active RNA polymerase I transcription and is able to attract the HAT PCAF. In Study III we investigated the intergenic part of the ribosomal DNA gene. We detected non-coding RNAs transcribed from the intergenic region that are transcribed by different RNA polymerases and that are regulated differently in different stress situations. Furthermore, these ncRNAs are distributed at different locations in the cell, suggesting that they have different functions. In Study IV we showed the involvement of B‑WICH in RNA Pol III transcription and, as we previously had shown in Study I, that B‑WICH is able to create a more open chromatin structure, in this case by acting as a licensing factor for c-Myc and the Myc/Max/Mxd network. Taken together, we have revealed the mechanism by which the B‑WICH complex is able to regulate RNA Pol I and Pol III transcription and we have determined the role of NM1 in the B‑WICH complex. We conclude that B‑WICH is an important factor in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. Furthermore, we found that the intergenic spacer of the rDNA gene is actively transcribed, producing ncRNAs. Different cellular locations suggest that the ncRNAs have different functions. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript; Paper 3: Manuscript</p>

The diploma thesis analyses the beginnings of hip hop in the Czech Republic in the context of domestic music magazines. It aims to examine the media depiction of this cultural phenomenon in its entirety with an emphasis on the musical genre of rap. Through qualitative content analysis of text data, it observes specific periodicals in two time periods. The first of them was in the years 1989 to 1999, when the first attempts to transfer the originally American genre to the domestic environment began to appear in the country. The second analysed stage is limited to the years 2000 and 2002, in which two key albums were released, namely Repertoár by the group PSH and My 3 by Indy & Wich. The magazines Melodie, Rock & Pop, Report, Tripmag, Ultramix and Bbarák were used in the qualitative content analysis. The thesis examines the first printed mentions of Czech hip hop, but also focuses on reviews, interviews and other extensive journalistic genres, especially at a later stage. Qualitative content analysis of textual data is complemented by semi-structured interviews with leading music publicists, but also artists who have contributed to the establishment of rap in terms of Czech music. The research method of oral history was also used and made it possible to obtain information with witnesses that have...