Uranium-Bearing Srilankite from High-Pressure Garnetites of the Southern Urals: First Data

Science.gov (United States)

Gottman, I. A.; Pushkarev, E. V.; Khiller, V. V.

2018-04-01

This work presents the results of studying srilankite, a rare zirconium titanate (ZrTi2O6), associated with ilmenite, rutile, zircon, uraninite, and other minerals discovered in high-pressure garnetites of the lherzolite Mindyak massif (Southern Urals). Srilankite occurs as inclusions in ilmenite and rutile of up to several tens of microns in size. It was established for the first time that srilankite contains a significant UO2 admixture (up to 20%). The negative correlation between Zr and U is evidence of isomorphism in the srilankite-brannerite system. The association of srilankite with high-Zr rutile indicates that formation of these minerals occurred at T > 850°C.

Structural evolution of the Ural-Tian Shan junction: A view from Karatau ridge, South Kazakhstan

Science.gov (United States)

Alexeiev, D.V.; Cook, H.E.; Buvtyshkin, V.M.; Golub, L.Y.

2009-01-01

The deformation history of the Late Palaeozoic Ural-Tian Shan junction is discussed for the example of the Karatau ridge in southern Kazakhstan. Three deformation events are recognized. The Late Carboniferous D1 event is characterized by Laramide-style thrust-and-fold structures on the southern margin of Kazakhstan with shortening in a NE-SW direction. The Latest Permian and Triassic D2 event is controlled by compression in an east-west direction, which reflects collisional deformation in the Urals. The main structures are submeridional folds and north-west-striking sinistral strike-slip faults. The Triassic D3 event with shortening in a north-south direction reflects collision of the Turan microcontinent against the southern margin of Kazakhstan. The main structures are north-west-striking dextral strike-slip faults. Our new data provides important clues for the reconstruction of pre-Cretaceous structures between the Urals and the Tian Shan. ?? 2008 Acad??mie des sciences.

«Equal Salary for Equal Work…»: Financial Position of Teachers in 1940−1950s (on Materials of Southern Urals

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Рустам Закирович Алмаев

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the analysis of teachers' living standards in the Soviet Union and the Southern Urals in particular. The author analyzes the state policy and opportunities of the centralized government for solving social and everyday problems of school teachers. Archival sources help the author to study everyday life of Soviet teachers during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war decades.

The Ecology of the Ural Owl at South-Western Border of Its Distribution (Slovenia

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Al Vrezec

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In Slovenia the Ural Owl (Strix uralensis is on its south-western limit of distribution and belongs to the southern subspecies Strix uralensis macroura. Dark coloured owls are characteristic for this subspecies and represent between 5 to 15% of the population. Slovenian breeding population size is estimated at 400 to 700 pairs. The densities of territories ranges between 0.9 to 13.4 territories per 10 km2, and the highest are reached in mountain forests of southern Dinaric region. In the forests with dominant deciduous trees, e.g. Beech (Fagus sylvatica and Pedinculate Oak (Quercus robur, the breeding densities are significantly higher than in the forests with higher proportion of coniferous trees, e.g. Norway Spruce (Picea abies. The species does not select specific altitude and throughout Slovenia it occurs between 150 and 1600 m a.s.l.  The most of the nest found at natural nest-sites were in tree holes or semi-holes (56% and at the tree stumps (20%. Nest boxes were occupied less frequently in Slovenia with occupancy rate of 29%. At least in mountain regions breeding begins quite late, between 15 March to 21 June. Average clutch size is 3.3 ± 1.0 eggs per nest. About 80% of all nests are successful raising at least one young. The diet shifts significantly between breeding and non-breeding period due to the seasonality in prey availability. According to the biomass the most important prey in breeding period are mice (Muridae, voles (Arvicollidae and mole (Talpa europaea, but in the non-breeding period voles and dormice (Gliridae predominate. Large Fat Dormouse (Glis glis seems to have very important role in the post-breeding period, but not in the breeding period due to its dormancy. As a large forest-dwelling predator the Ural Owl shapes the raptor community in the forest by excluding mezopredator species, as Tawny Owl (Strix aluco, what allows smaller raptors, e.g. Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus to expend their ranges to lower elevations

The Hirnantian δ13C Positive Excursion in the Nabiullino Section (South Urals)

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Yakupov, R. R.; Mavrinskaya, T. M.; Smoleva, I. V.

2018-02-01

The upper Sandbian, Katian, and Hirnantian complexes of conodonts in the upper Ordovician section of the western slope of the Southern Urals near the village of Nabiullino were studied. The δ13C positive excursion with a maximum of 3.3‰ associated with the global Hirnantian isotopic event, HICE, was fixed for the first time. This excursion shows the beginning of the Hirnantian stage in the terrigenous-carbonate section of the upper Ordovician in the Southern Urals. It coincides with the first occurrence of the Hirnantian conodont species of Gamachignathus ensifer and the conodonts of shallow-water biophacies, Aphelognathus-Ozarkodina, reflecting the global glacio-eustatic event.

REGIONAL VENTURE FUND OF THE URAL FEDERAL DISTRICT: CREATION AND STRATEGY OF DEVELOPMENT

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N.A. Victorov

2007-03-01

Full Text Available The article describes both types of Russian venture funds and forms of the state participation in venture investment. Besides, the article mentions the scheme of regional venture fund creation in Ural district, principles of its participants` interaction and some management issues. Moreover, we can see here the fund's development which includes market, technological, integration and investment components.

Tritium in water ecosystems of Ural

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chebotina, M.Ya.; Nikolin, O.A.

2005-01-01

The paper provides the data on tritium monitoring in water ecosystems of the Ural region. The study area comprises the Beloyarsk Atomic Power Plant (cooling reservoir and the Olkhovsk bog-river ecosystem), a territory around the 'Mayak' Enterprise, and control territory, for comparison, located in the North of Sverdlovsk region. It was found that a large area in the Ural region, particularly near the power plant and the 'Mayak,, was characterized by increased tritium content in water as compared with technogenic background is typical for control areas. It may be considered that nearly all the tritium within the study area including control ones are of anthropogenic origin taking into account the act that the global background level for the radionuclide is 1 Bq/l.(author)

Population exposure dose reconstruction for the Urals Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Degteva, M.O.; Kozheurov, V.P.; Vorobiova, M.I.; Burmistrov, D.S.; Khokhryakov, V.V.; Suslova, K.G.; Anspaugh, L.R.; Napier, B.A.; Bouville, A.

1996-06-01

This presentation describes the first preliminary results of an ongoing joint Russian-US pilot feasibility study. Many people participated in workshops to determine what Russian and United States scientists could do together in the area of dose reconstruction in the Urals population. Most of the results presented here came from a joint work shop in St. Petersburg, Russia (11-13 July 1995). The Russians at the workshop represented the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine (URCRM), the Mayak Industrial Association, and Branch One of the Moscow Biophysics Institute. The US Collaborators were Dr. Anspaugh of LLNL, Dr. Nippier of PNL, and Dr. Bouville of the National Cancer Institute. The objective of the first year of collaboration was to look at the source term and levels of radiation contamination, the historical data available, and the results of previous work carried out by Russian scientists, and to determine a conceptual model for dose reconstruction

Risk Diagnostics and Management for Welfare in Regions (in the Example of the Ural Federal District

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Aleksandr Anatolyevich Kuklin

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Welfare is one of the indicators that characterizes the functioning of socio-economic system at any level, which is influenced by many factors. It increases the importance of necessity of choice, estimating risks that affect welfare, and managing their influence. The authors view welfare in the region from two viewpoints: an individual and a territory, which implies definition and estimation of risks for each of them. The goal of the study is to estimate the risks to welfare of an individual and a territory, which means solving the following tasks: 1 defining the category ‘risk to welfare of an individual and a territory’; 2 estimating integral risks for the Ural Federal District’s territories; 3 estimating the probability of integral risk reaching critical zone. The methods of study used by the authors: indicative analysis, integration of objective function through Monte Carlo statistical trials method. The object of the study is the regions of the Ural Federal District (subjects of the Russian Federation, timeframe – 2001–2016, information mass – official data of Russian Federal State Statistics Service. Based on the calculations, the authors conclude the following: all regions of the Ural Federal District are in the high-risk zone and have low probability of reaching critical risk zone. The results can be used in managing the risks through development of roadmaps on minimization of risk and probability of aggravation. The proposed measures allow decreasing the integral risk and increasing welfare level of an individual and a territory

MAIN STAGES SCIENTIFIC AND PRODUCTION MASTERING THE TERRITORY AVERAGE URAL

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V.S. Bochko

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Questions of the shaping Average Ural, as industrial territory, on base her scientific study and production mastering are considered in the article. It is shown that studies of Ural resources and particularities of the vital activity of its population were concerned by Russian and foreign scientist in XVIII-XIX centuries. It is noted that in XX century there was a transition to systematic organizing-economic study of production power, society and natures of Average Ural. More attention addressed on new problems of region and on needs of their scientific solving.

Effect of rainfall intensity and slope steepness on the development of soil erosion in the Southern Cis-Ural region (A model experiment)

Science.gov (United States)

Sobol, N. V.; Gabbasova, I. M.; Komissarov, M. A.

2017-09-01

The effect of rainfall intensity on the erosion of residual calcareous agrogray soils and clay-illuvial agrochernozems in the Southern Cis-Ural region on slopes of different inclination and vegetation type has been studied by simulating with a small-size sprinkler. It has been shown that soil loss linearly depends on rainfall intensity (2, 4, and 6 mm/min) and slope inclination (3° and 7°). When the rainfall intensity and duration, and the slope inclination increase, soil loss by erosion from agrogray soils increases higher than from agrochernozems. On the plowland with a slope of 3°, runoff begins 12, 10, and 5 min, on the average, after the beginning of rains at these intensities. When the slope increases to 7°, runoff begins earlier by 7, 6, and 4 min, respectively. After the beginning of runoff and with its increase by 1 mm, the soil loss from slopes of 3° and 7° reaches 4.2 and 25.7 t/ha on agrogray soils and 1.4 and 4.7 t/ha on agrochernozems, respectively. Fallow soils have higher erosion resistance, and the soil loss little depends on the slope gradient: it gradually increases to 0.3-1.0 t/ha per 1 mm of runoff with increasing rainfall intensity and duration. The content of physical clay in eroded material is higher than in the original soils. Fine fractions prevail in this material, which increases their humus content. The increase in rainfall intensity and duration to 4 and 6 mm/min results in the entrapment of coarse silt and sand by runoff.

Genetic diversity of Siberian stone pine under introduction in the South Urals and Bashkir Cis-Urals

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Z. Kh. Shigapov

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Allozyme polymorphism of Siberian stone pine Pinus sibirica Du Tour has been studied in 14 artificial stands in the South Urals and Bashkir Cis-Urals on the base of 7 gene-enzyme system analysis. The following values of genetic diversity are determined: mean number of alleles per locus (A constitutes 1.69±0.08; portion of polymorphic loci (P95 – 50.0 %; the average expected heterozygosity (He – 0.121±0.015; the average observed heterozygosity (Ho – 0.127±0.017.The level of genetic variability in artificial stands of Siberian stone pine in the region is somewhat inferior to that in natural populations of the species. The highest genotype heterozygosity is determined in high-productive 110 year-old artificial stand in the South Urals (Beloretsky-2 site, and also in Ufimsky and Mishkinsky sites in Bashkir Cis-Urals. The lowest heterozygosity values are revealed in Birsky and Tuimazinsky sites characterized by the weakened vital state of individuals. In total we can speak about the maintenance of essential part of the species’ genetic polymorphism under introduction, especially in some stands. Genetic similarity of the studied stands is shown: inter-sample component of the total genetic diversity (FST constitutes 2.2 %, the average Nei’s genetic distance (D – 0.0033±0.00023, that is also typical of natural populations of Siberian stone pine in the species range. The obtained data about the genetic variability level of artificial stands in a complex with forestry characteristics give evidence of the successful species introduction in the region and the necessity of resumption of works on Siberian stone pine culture establishment in an industrial scale.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Volga-Ural Region Province, Russia and Kazakhstan, 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, T.R.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Pitman, Janet K.; Cook, Troy A.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of technically recoverable, conventional, undiscovered petroleum resources at 1.4 billion barrels of crude oil, 2.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 85 million barrels of natural gas liquids for the Volga-Ural Region Province, using a geology-based assessment methodology.

Regional Resilience of the Ural Federal District in Economic Shocks and Crises: Medico-Demographic and Environmental Aspects

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Boris Alengordovich Korobitsyn

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Health, demographic and environmental consequences of 1998 and 2008 economic crises for the Ural Federal District are considered in the paper. Regional resilience is defined as the ability of a regional socio-economic system to withstand, absorb or overcome an internal or external economic shock. The quantitative analysis of regional resilience of the subject entities of the Ural Federal District is based on two interrelated dimensions: resistance, those are the vulnerability or sensitivity of a regional socio-economic system to disturbances and disruptions; and the speed and extend of recovery from such a disruption. Because resilience as a concept captures resistance to the shock and recovery from it, resistance indexes and recovery indexes are used for assessing the impact of regions to recessionary shocks. Three sets of resilience indicators were used: economic, environmental and medico-demographic ones. The main criteria for selecting resilience indicators were their robustness as a measure of the territorial impact of the economic crisis and availability of long time series. Special attention is paid to the question identification of the qualitative and quantitative factors, which form the territorial characteristics enabling some regions to resist, or move out of, economic downturn more effectively than others. Unfortunately, a valid answer to the question why some regions are more able to withstand an economic downturn than others, or are able to recover faster, cannot be given at present. Resilience to an economic shock does not necessarily imply that the economy is otherwise strong and performing well over the longer-term. Regions that experience strong economic growth prior to a shock may appear to be less resilient. Such components of the regional socio-economic system as reserves of natural resources, sectoral structure of regional economy, skills of population, diversified economy and quality of governance do not define uniquely

Morphological and molecular observations on the cereal cyst nematode Heterodera filipjevi from the Volga and South Ural regions of Russia

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During 2010-2012, a survey was conducted to determine the distribution and species diversity of the cereal cyst nematode Heterodera filipjevi within the Volga and South Ural regions of the Russian Federation. A total of 270 soil samples were collected. Seven populations of CCN were found in the rhiz...

Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Domanik-type formations of the Volga-Ural Region Province, Russia, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, Timothy R.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Le, Phuong A.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Marra, Kristen R.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Pitman, Janet K.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2018-02-27

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of 2.8 billion barrels of oil and 34 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Domanik-type formations of the Volga-Ural Region Province, Russia.

Population structure of larch forests in the Urals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Putenikhin, V.P.; Farukshina, G.G. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa (Russian Federation). Botanical Garden Inst.

1995-12-31

The variability and population structure of larch (Larix sukaczewii Dyl.) naturally growing in the Urals was studied on the basis of biometric analysis of generative organs. The obtained results point to the existence of 11 phenotypically different local populations of Larix sukaczewii in the Urals. Four populations are identified in the South Urals: Marginal, central, high-mountainous, south-uralian and Bashkircis-uralian. Middle-uralian, Perm cis-uralian, central north-uralian and high-mountainous north-uralian populations are determined in the Middle and the North Urals. Three populations of Larix sukaczewii are identified in the Sub-Polar and the Polar Urals: Subpolar-uralian, Pechora-Thiman cisuralian and polar-uralian. 8 refs, 2 tabs

Population structure of larch forests in the Urals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Putenikhin, V P; Farukshina, G G [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa (Russian Federation). Botanical Garden Inst.

1996-12-31

The variability and population structure of larch (Larix sukaczewii Dyl.) naturally growing in the Urals was studied on the basis of biometric analysis of generative organs. The obtained results point to the existence of 11 phenotypically different local populations of Larix sukaczewii in the Urals. Four populations are identified in the South Urals: Marginal, central, high-mountainous, south-uralian and Bashkircis-uralian. Middle-uralian, Perm cis-uralian, central north-uralian and high-mountainous north-uralian populations are determined in the Middle and the North Urals. Three populations of Larix sukaczewii are identified in the Sub-Polar and the Polar Urals: Subpolar-uralian, Pechora-Thiman cisuralian and polar-uralian. 8 refs, 2 tabs

Fetal organ dosimetry for the Techa River and Ozyorsk offspring cohorts. Pt. 1. A Urals-based series of fetal computational phantoms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maynard, Matthew R.; Bolch, Wesley E. [University of Florida, Advanced Laboratory for Radiation Dosimetry Studies (ALRADS), J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, Gainesville, FL (United States); Shagina, Natalia B.; Tolstykh, Evgenia I.; Degteva, Marina O. [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk (Russian Federation); Fell, Tim P. [Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Health, Didcot, Chilton, Oxon (United Kingdom)

2015-03-15

The European Union's SOLO (Epidemiological Studies of Exposed Southern Urals Populations) project aims to improve understanding of cancer risks associated with chronic in utero radiation exposure. A comprehensive series of hybrid computational fetal phantoms was previously developed at the University of Florida in order to provide the SOLO project with the capability of computationally simulating and quantifying radiation exposures to individual fetal bones and soft tissue organs. To improve harmonization between the SOLO fetal biokinetic models and the computational phantoms, a subset of those phantoms was systematically modified to create a novel series of phantoms matching anatomical data representing Russian fetal biometry in the Southern Urals. Using previously established modeling techniques, eight computational Urals-based phantoms aged 8, 12, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, and 38 weeks post-conception were constructed to match appropriate age-dependent femur lengths, biparietal diameters, individual bone masses and whole-body masses. Bone and soft tissue organ mass differences between the common ages of the subset of UF phantom series and the Urals-based phantom series illustrated the need for improved understanding of fetal bone densities as a critical parameter of computational phantom development. In anticipation for SOLO radiation dosimetry studies involving the developing fetus and pregnant female, the completed phantom series was successfully converted to a cuboidal voxel format easily interpreted by radiation transport software. (orig.)

[Minor Uralic languages...] / Väino Klaus

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Klaus, Väino, 1949-

1998-01-01

Arvustus: Minor Uralic languages and their contacts / University of Tartu ; editor A. Künnap. Tartu : University of Tartu, 1993 ; Minor Uralic languages: structure and development : [artikleid ja materjale / edited and preface by Ago Künnap]. Tartu : [Tartu University Press] ; Groningen : University of Groningen, 1994

Concept of the Ural pharmaceutical cluster formation

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Aleksandr Petrovich Petrov

2011-06-01

Full Text Available This paper substantiates the necessity of cluster organization of the pharmaceutical industry in the region. The estimation of the state and prospects of development of such structures in the domestic economy is given. Sverdlovsk region was chosen as the object of study on the possibility of forming a pharmaceutical cluster. Objective prerequisites for the organization of a cluster of pharmaceutical production in Sverdlovsk region are considered, among these were distinguished: capacious and fast-growing market for pharmaceutical products, availability of potential development of the pharmaceutical industry in the territory and the key success factors for enterprises - potential participants of the cluster. Indicated key success factors are: presence of a creative team and close interaction between business and government, high level of cooperation among the enterprises of the cluster and commercialization of products, implementation of research and development expenditures etc. Thus, it was substantiated that in there all references and resources for the formation of a pharmaceutical cluster. The concept of formation and development of the Ural pharmaceutical cluster was elaborated. Inside the concept, the goals, objectives, processing, product and organizational priorities for cluster formation are identified. Architecture of this structure with a justification of its members and certain forms of interaction between them is proposed. The stages of formation and development of the Ural pharmaceutical cluster on the basis of a ten-year settlement period for the full range of activities for this project are substantiated. At each stage, a set of key objectives and results of the cluster was defined. The choice of phases was carried out on the basis of investment programs of cluster's enterprises strategic position on the mastering of markets and infrastructure development. An assessment of socio-economic efficiency of the Ural pharmaceutical

Renewable Energy Sources in Formation of South Urals Modern Urban Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Khudyakov, A. Ju; Shabiev, S. G.

2017-11-01

The article considers the vital problems of renewable energy sources using by the example of the South Urals as a part of a general energy system of the Russian Federation, makes a forecast and gives recommendations on the application of specific technologies: solar energy, wind energy, deep heat energy and geothermal energy. It also considers the influence of the climatology on selection of the development pattern for the alternative energy industry. The article contains an example of wind energy used as a driver of the Karabash company town development in the Chelyabinsk region. The development of the economic energy sector is extremely important for the Russian Federation, both from the point of view of strategic security and from the point of view of integration into a modern development on the principles of Sustainable Development. To provide a full understanding of the role of alternative energy in the energy sector of the country, the article presents the materials illustrating the regional potential in terms of alternative energy sources use. This article is a part of the global research on the settlement system evolution in the South Urals. The authors studied the historical, geographical, demographic, economic characteristics of the region. Finally, a forecast for development at the regional level was made. Some of the aforementioned results were obtained due to the testing research in the learning process of the students from the South Ural State University (national research university).

Modern Church Construction in Urals. Problems and Prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Surin, D. N.; Tereshina, O. B.

2017-11-01

The article analyzes the problems of the modern Orthodox church architecture in Russia, special attention is paid to the problems of the Ural region. It justifies the importance of addressing to this issue connected with the Orthodox traditions revival in Russia over the last decades and the need to compensate for tens of thousands of the churches destroyed in the Soviet period. The works on the theory and history of the Russian architecture and art, studies of the architectural heritage and the art of building of the Ural craftsmen are used as a scientific and methodological base for the church architecture development. The article discloses the historically formed architectural features of the Russian Orthodox churches the artistic image of which is designed to create a certain religious and aesthetic experience. It is stated that the restoration of the Russian church construction tradition is possible on the background of architectural heritage. It sets the tendencies and vital tasks in church construction and outlines a complex of measures to solve these tasks at the public and regional levels.

International Field School on Permafrost, Polar Urals, 2012

Science.gov (United States)

Streletskiy, D. A.; Grebenets, V.; Ivanov, M.; Sheinkman, V.; Shiklomanov, N. I.; Shmelev, D.

2012-12-01

The international field school on permafrost was held in the Polar Urals region from June, 30 to July 9, 2012 right after the Tenth International Conference on Permafrost which was held in Salekhard, Russia. The travel and accommodation support generously provided by government of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Region allowed participation of 150 permafrost young research scientists, out of which 35 students from seven countries participated in the field school. The field school was organized under umbrella of International Permafrost Association and Permafrost Young Research Network. The students represented diverse educational backgrounds including hydrologists, engineers, geologists, soil scientists, geocryologists, glaciologists and geomorphologists. The base school camp was located near the Harp settlement in the vicinity of Polar Urals foothills. This unique location presented an opportunity to study a diversity of cryogenic processes and permafrost conditions characteristic for mountain and plain regions as well as transition between glacial and periglacial environments. A series of excursions was organized according to the following topics: structural geology of the Polar Urals and West Siberian Plain (Chromite mine "Centralnaya" and Core Storage in Labitnangy city); quaternary geomorphology (investigation of moraine complexes and glacial conditions of Ronamantikov and Topographov glaciers); principles of construction and maintains of structures built on permafrost (Labitnangy city and Obskaya-Bovanenkovo Railroad); methods of temperature and active-layer monitoring in tundra and forest-tundra; cryosols and soil formation in diverse landscape condition; periglacial geomorphology; types of ground ice, etc. Every evening students and professors gave a series of presentations on climate, vegetation, hydrology, soil conditions, permafrost and cryogenic processes of the region as well as on history, economic development, endogenous population of the Siberia and the

PALEOTECTONIC AND PALEOGEOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS FOR THE ACCUMULATION OF THE LOWER RIPHEAN AI FORMATION IN THE BASHKIR UPLIFT (SOUTHERN URALS: THE TERRANECHRONE® DETRITAL ZIRCON STUDY

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T. V. Romanyuk

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The TerraneChrone® (LA-ICP-MS technique has been applied to carry out an integrated study of detrital zircons in sandstones sampled from the basal horizons of the stratotypical Riphean sequence in the Southern Urals, specifically the Navysh and Chudin suites of the Ai Formation of the Burzyan Group in the Bashkir Uplift. The concentrations of trace elements in the detrital zircons suggest that the role of oceanic or marginal-marine complexes among the primary sources of zircons was insignificant, and show a better agreement with the intra-continental rather than passive-margin origin of the Riphean basin, whose basal levels are composed by the Ai Formation. The U/Pb ages of zircons from samples K13-206 and M08-16-1 are generally similar: the Paleoproterozoic zircons predominate (the dominant peaks are actually coincident, 2063 and 2055 Ma, and only a few grains of the Archean age are present. Despite the similar U/Pb ages of the detrital zircons, these two samples considerably differ in their Hf isotopic features and the concentrations of trace elements, which means that the zircons in the studied sandstones are of different geodynamic origin. The characteristics of these zircons can be explained by a model showing the Ai Formation in the Navysh graben that is a rift structure and a predecessor of the Kama-Belaya aulacogene in the inner Volga-Ural region of the Paleoproterozoic supercontinent Columbia. At the initial stage of rifting, the granitoid complexes with a lower total silicic acidity, which composed the graben walls, had been eroded; as a result of erosion, coarse clastic rocks accumulated within the Navysh graben and formed the Navysh suite. A specific “carbonatitic” complex containing zircons (about 2.0, 2.5, 2.85 and 3.6 Ga and the Palaeoarchean crustal material in the substrate of their parent rocks was also eroded. In the final stage of rifting, already at the initial stages of the development of the Kama-Belaya aulacogen

Treeline advances along the Urals mountain range - driven by improved winter conditions?

Science.gov (United States)

Hagedorn, Frank; Shiyatov, Stepan G; Mazepa, Valeriy S; Devi, Nadezhda M; Grigor'ev, Andrey A; Bartysh, Alexandr A; Fomin, Valeriy V; Kapralov, Denis S; Terent'ev, Maxim; Bugman, Harald; Rigling, Andreas; Moiseev, Pavel A

2014-11-01

High-altitude treelines are temperature-limited vegetation boundaries, but little quantitative evidence exists about the impact of climate change on treelines in untouched areas of Russia. Here, we estimated how forest-tundra ecotones have changed during the last century along the Ural mountains. In the South, North, Sub-Polar, and Polar Urals, we compared 450 historical and recent photographs and determined the ages of 11,100 trees along 16 altitudinal gradients. In these four regions, boundaries of open and closed forests (crown covers above 20% and 40%) expanded upwards by 4 to 8 m in altitude per decade. Results strongly suggest that snow was an important driver for these forest advances: (i) Winter precipitation has increased substantially throughout the Urals (~7 mm decade(-1) ), which corresponds to almost a doubling in the Polar Urals, while summer temperatures have only changed slightly (~0.05°C decade(-1) ). (ii) There was a positive correlation between canopy cover, snow height and soil temperatures, suggesting that an increasing canopy cover promotes snow accumulation and, hence, a more favorable microclimate. (iii) Tree age analysis showed that forest expansion mainly began around the year 1900 on concave wind-sheltered slopes with thick snow covers, while it started in the 1950s and 1970s on slopes with shallower snow covers. (iv) During the 20th century, dominant growth forms of trees have changed from multistemmed trees, resulting from harsh winter conditions, to single-stemmed trees. While 87%, 31%, and 93% of stems appearing before 1950 were from multistemmed trees in the South, North and Polar Urals, more than 95% of the younger trees had a single stem. Currently, there is a high density of seedlings and saplings in the forest-tundra ecotone, indicating that forest expansion is ongoing and that alpine tundra vegetation will disappear from most mountains of the South and North Urals where treeline is already close to the highest peaks. © 2014

Radiological assessment of past, present and potential sources to environmental contamination in the Southern Urals and strategies for remedial measures (SUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aarkrog, A. [Risoe National Lab. (Denmark); Simmonds, J. [National Radiological Protection Board (United Kingdom); Strand, P. [Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (Norway); Christensen, G. [Institute of Energy Technology (Norway); Salbu, B. [Agricultural Univ. of Norway (Norway)

2000-12-01

This report summarises work done on the SUCON Project during 1996-1999 (European Commission Contract No. FI4C-CT95-0001). The project has focused on three major objectives: 1) An assessment of the radiological consequences of the contamination of the South Urals and the Ob river system from the production of plutonium at 'Mayak', 2) The development of models to calculate doses to individuals and populations in the South Urals using environmental data, and 3) The intercomparison, harmonisation and standardisation of techniques used in dose reconstruction and specification of good practice in particular with regard to remedial measures. (au)

Radiological assessment of past, present and potential sources to environmental contamination in the Southern Urals and strategies for remedial measures (SUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aarkrog, A.; Simmonds, J.; Strand, P.; Christensen, G.; Salbu, B.

2000-12-01

This report summarises work done on the SUCON Project during 1996-1999 (European Commission Contract No. FI4C-CT95-0001). The project has focused on three major objectives: 1) An assessment of the radiological consequences of the contamination of the South Urals and the Ob river system from the production of plutonium at 'Mayak', 2) The development of models to calculate doses to individuals and populations in the South Urals using environmental data, and 3) The intercomparison, harmonisation and standardisation of techniques used in dose reconstruction and specification of good practice in particular with regard to remedial measures. (au)

Nuclear disaster in the Urals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medvedev, Z.A.

1980-01-01

Based on items of personal knowledge and on a critical examination of the open report literature, the author establishes the probable occurrence of a major radiation accident in late 1957 or early 1958 in the Chelyabinsk region of the Urals. The reports published deal with contamination of lakes, fish, soil, mammals, birds, insects and trees by cesium 137 and strontium 90. The levels of contamination and the numbers of animals sampled lead him to assume that the source of the accident was radioactive wastes from plutonium producing reactors which had been inadequately disposed of, and that the contaminated area was of the order of 100 sq.km. Relevant CIA documents released are reproduced. (JIW)

Turkic Communities in South Trans-Urals in the 15th–17th centuries: National, Administrative, Territorial, Ethnosocial Transformations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.N. Maslyuzhenko

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Research objectives: The article reads on the settlement on and the economic use of the south Trans-Urals territories by Turkic communities. Research materials: Published and unpublished sources: books of official orders in the Russian state, chronicles, acts, diplomatic documents, archaeological data, etc. Results and novelty of the research: Traditionally, administrative divisions of Ural and Trans-Urals are considered to be a sort of a naturally emerged structure. Having analyzed the sources, we may conclude: the system of counties’ (uyezd division, as introduced by the Russian state, did not consider the allocation of the communities and their economic management mode. Cattle breeding practices of the local Turks determined the specifity of their economic activities. Many Turks’ volosts (ancestral territories were compound and consisted of two parts: the winter part and the summer one. These two parts could be quite long-distance, divided by the Urals and upon being included into the Russian state they were designated to different uyezds. For instance, one part of Tersyak volost was assigned to Verkhoturskiy uyezd and the second – to Tyumensky uyezd; the western part of the Myakotinskaya (Bakatin volost was located in Ufimsky uyezd and the eastern – in Tyumensky uyezd, which was in the lower reach of the Iset and Pyshma rivers. Consequently, by the moment of being merged into the Russian state, the territories indicated below were economically managed by the local Turks: South Trans-Urals and a part of Cis-Urals, including the territories in the upperstreams of the Ufa and Chusovaya rivers, along the Pyshma and Iset rivers, partially the Tura river, and Tobol between the outflows of the Miass and Tura. The given practice arose in the late Middle Ages and was intimately connected with Shibanids’ claims who ruled in Tyumen and Siberian Khanates. They claimed not only to the territories in the south of West Siberia, Aral Sea region

Conseptual framework of ensuring food security in the Ural federal district

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Aleksandr Samvelovich Beletskiy

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The paper reviews the risks and threats to food security of the Ural Federal District which can significantly reduce its the level. The most significant risks are grouped according to the following classification: macroeconomic, technological, climatic, agro-ecological and foreign trade risks. The main directions of economic policy of the Ural Federal District in the area of food security are defined. Particular attention is paid to the improvement of economic and physical availability of food for all groups of population and to the problems of formation of the state material reserves and food safety. Strategic development priorities in the field of agricultural and fishery products, raw materials and food, sustainable development of rural areas in the field of foreign policy are formulated. Conceptual bases for the implementation mechanism of economic policies to ensure food security in the region are suggested.

THE ANALYSIS OF THE GEOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC MINERAL RESOURCES IN THE RAIL ROAD CORRIDOR "URAL INDUSTRIAL – URAL POLAR"

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V.P. Pakhomov

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The article brings forth the geological-economic analysis of the mineral resource in the area of the transport corridor "Urals industrial – Urals Polar". Given is the analysis of the potential finding of coal on the territory, chromate and other important excavations, the whereabouts of which are more easily approachable for the acquiring with the condition of building a railroad with the path of station Polunochnoye-Obskaya. Given are the possible masses of the delivery of the products accordingly. Distinguished is the size of the investments, that are needed for the mineral resources of the given territory.

INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS TO ECONOMY OF THE URAL FEDERAL DISTRICT

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S.I. Mayer

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Economy of the Ural federal district is characterized by appreciable institutional transformations. First of all, it concerns arrival on the market new and leaving from the market of the old enterprises and the organizations, that, alongside with other factors, defines growth of competitiveness of regions. The processes of development of small business, strengthening of market positions of the organizations with participation of the foreign capital, activisation of the market of merges and absorption of the companies operate also in the same direction. Noted tendencies are characteristic for economy of all Russia. However regional features, as between federal districts, and subjects of Federation are kept also.

Structural Change of Gross Regional Product in the Subjects of Ural Federal District

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Valeriy Vladimirovich Gamukin

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The important factor of the stability of the national economy is the adaptive capability of regional economies to damping of external and internal factors of risk. It occurs thanks to the variety of the developed industry structures of the economy in regions as well as to the constant process of their transformation that finds reflection in the structure of the gross regional product (GRP. It is possible to consider three main strategies of the development of the structure of regional economy: 1 the reduction of the economies of regions to the balanced condition; 2 the emphasis on the individualization of the structure of regional economy; 3 the combined strategy, when regions with various structure of economy are integrated into macro-regions in which there is a compilation of structure. In the latter case, this can result in both the leveling of the GRP structure of the territorial subjects of the Russian Federation included in the region and its convergence to macro-region indicators, in general (for example, to the federal district’s indicators. For the confirmation of this hypothesis, the analysis of GRP of the subjects included in the Ural Federal District for the period of 2005–2014 is carried out. As a result, a number of conclusions are formulated. Thus, the measurements with the use of the Ryabtsev Index and Szalai Index have shown that the GRP structure of autonomous areas is most close to the GRP structure of the federal district. At the same time, during the analyzed period, there was a reducing in a share of mining operations along with the increase in a share of GRP types referred to the auxiliary and social component of economic activity. In the federal district, there is a slow movement to a more balanced participation of regions of the district in the generation of GRP total amount. When using the author’s index of the structure determined by the double calculation of the sum of squared deviations, the tendency towards

Reconstruction of radionuclide intakes for the residents of East Urals Radioactive Trace (1957-2011)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tolstykh, Evgenia I.; Peremyslova, Lyudmila M.; Degteva, Marina O. [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk (Russian Federation); Napier, Bruce A. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States)

2017-03-15

The East Urals Radioactive Trace (EURT) was formed after a chemical explosion in the radioactive waste-storage facility of the Mayak Production Association in 1957 (Southern Urals, Russia) and resulted in an activity dispersion of 7.4 x 10{sup 16} Bq into the atmosphere. Internal exposure due to ingestion of radionuclides with local foodstuffs was the main factor of public exposure at the EURT. The EURT cohort, combining residents of most contaminated settlements, was formed for epidemiological study at the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Russia (URCRM). For the purpose of improvement of radionuclide intake estimates for cohort members, the following data sets collected in URCRM were used: (1) Total β-activity and radiochemical measurements of {sup 90}Sr in local foodstuffs over all of the period of interest (1958-2011; n = 2200), which were used for relative {sup 90}Sr intake estimations. (2) {sup 90}Sr measurements in human bones and whole body (n = 338); these data were used for average {sup 90}Sr intake derivations using an age- and gender-dependent Sr-biokinetic model. Non-strontium radionuclide intakes were evaluated on the basis of {sup 90}Sr intake data and the radionuclide composition of contaminated foodstuffs. Validation of radionuclide intakes during the first years after the accident was first carried out using measurements of the feces β-activity of EURT residents (n = 148). The comparison of experimental and reconstructed values of feces β-activity shows good agreement. {sup 90}Sr intakes for residents of settlements evacuated 7-14 days after the accident were also obtained from {sup 90}Sr measurements in human bone and whole body. The results of radionuclide intake reconstruction will be used to estimate the internal doses for the members of the EURT cohort. (orig.)

[Syntaxonomic analysis of restorative successions after cutting down light coniferous forests of South Ural Region].

Science.gov (United States)

Martynenko, V B; Shirokhikh, P S; Mirkin, B M; Naumova, L G

2014-01-01

Discussed are the possibilities of using syntaxa from floristic classification for the analysis of secondary restorative successions after forest cutting in South Ural Region. Peculiarities of secondary forest communities classification that may be viewed as subjects of indigenous vegetation syntaxa forming, sub-associations or could be systematized according to 'deductive' classification introduced by K. Kopecky and S. Heiny are considered. An example is presented of an analysis of communities succession system formed after cutting down hemiboreal pine and birch-pine herbaceous forests of Bupleuro-Pinetum association. Within this system the processes of divergence and convergence of succession series take place. Divergence occur as a result of lifting of the influence caused by dominants edificating role and manifestation of differences in soil humidification, also as a consequence of soil enrichment by mineral elements after burning down the felling debris. The reason behind convergence is grading influence of renewed forest stand. Trends in species richness changes during restorative successions may differ depending on ecotope features. In course of a succession, models of tolerance and inhibition become apparent.

Joint US/Russian Studies of Population Exposures Resulting from Nuclear Production Activities in the Southern Urals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napier, Bruce A.

2014-01-01

Beginning in 1948, the Soviet Union initiated a program for production of nuclear materials for a weapons program. The first facility for production of plutonium was constructed in the central portion of the country east of the southern Ural Mountains, about halfway between the major industrial cities of Ekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk. The facility now known as the Mayak Production Association and its associated town, now known as Ozersk, were built to irradiate uranium in reactors, separate the resulting plutonium in reprocessing plants, and prepare plutonium metal. The rush to production, coupled with inexperience in handling radioactive materials, lead to large radiation exposures, not only to the workers in the facilities, but also to the surrounding public. Fuel processing started with no controls on releases, and fuel dissolution and accidents in reactors resulted in release of about 37 PBq (1015 Bq) of 131I between 1948 and 1967. Designed disposals of low- and intermediate-level liquid radioactive wastes, and accidental releases via cooling water from tank farms of high-level liquid radioactive wastes, into the small Techa River caused significant contamination and exposures to residents of numerous small riverside villages downstream of the site. Discovery of the magnitude of the aquatic contamination in late 1951 caused revisions to the waste handling regimes, but not before over 200 PBq of radionuclides (with large contributions of 90Sr and 137Cs) were released. Liquid wastes were diverted to tiny Lake Karachay (which today holds over 4 EBq); cooling water was stopped in the tank farms. In 1957, one of the tanks in the tank farm overheated and exploded; over 70 PBq, disproportionately 90Sr, was blown over a large area to the northeast of the site; a large area was contaminated and many villages evacuated. This area today is known as the East Urals Radioactive Trace (EURT). Each of these releases was significant; together they have created a group of cohorts

Tracking Typological Traits of Uralic Languages in Distributed Language Representations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerva, Johannes; Augenstein, Isabelle

2018-01-01

Although linguistic typology has a long history, computational approaches have only recently gained popularity. The use of distributed representations in computational linguistics has also become increasingly popular. A recent development is to learn distributed representations of language...... for model transfer between Uralic languages in deep neural networks. We then investigate which typological features are encoded in these representations by attempting to predict features in the World Atlas of Language Structures, at various stages of fine-tuning of the representations. We focus on Uralic...

Rodent communities in the sub-polar Ural mountains

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Berdyugin, K. I.

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Distribution of the rodent communities in the Sub-polar Urals is analysed. This part of the range, between 64° and 66°N, includes the highest peaks, is very scarcely settled and has been rarely studied. However, the area is interesting for biogeography, being a border zone separating European and Siberian lowland faunas. Comparison of results with those from expeditions undertaken in 1927 and in 1972, allows to evaluate changing trends in the local rodent communities, and to relate these trends to changes in the environmental conditions. The results help to emphasize the barrier role played by Sub-polar Urals for the species of rodents inhabiting both sides of the range, and also show the shifting of southern rodent forms northwards, or the moving upwards of other lowland species. This could be seen as an additional evidence of current climate warming trends.

[fr]
On analyse la répartition des communautés de rongeurs dans les Durais Subpolaires, une section de la chaîne comprise entre les 64° et les 66° de latitude N. Cette partie est très peu peuplée, elle possède les pics les plus hauts de la chaîne et a été rarement étudiée. Il s'agit d'une région intéressante, car c'est la frontière entre les plaines européennes et les plaines orientales de la Sibérie. En comparant les observations effectuées en 1927 et en 1972 avec celles des dernières années, on peut voir les tendances de changement des groupements de rongeurs de la région, et les interpréter en fonction des changements dans l'environnement. Les résultats permettent de mieux comprendre le rôle de barrière qui jouent les Durais Subpolaires pour les espèces de rongeurs situées d'un coté et d'autre de la chaîne. Aussi, ils permettent de verifier le déplacement vers le nord deformes méridionales et l'élévation en altitude d'autres, ce qui pourrait être vu comme une preuve additionnelle de la tendance au réchauffement global.
[es]
Se

Radiological assessment of past, present and potential sources to environmental contamination in the Southern Urals and strategies for remedial measures (SUCON)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aarkrog, A.; Simmonds, J.; Strand, P.

2001-01-01

This report summarises work done on the SUCON Project during 1996-1999 (European Commission Contract No. FI4C-CT95-0001). The project has focused on three major objectives: 1) An assessment of the radiological consequences of the contamination of theSouth Urals and the Ob river system from...

77 FR 15994 - Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-19

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting via teleconference. SUMMARY: The Southern Region... and requests to Southern Region Recreation RAC, Caroline Mitchell, P.O. Box 1270, Hot Springs, AR...

TROPHIC RELATIONS OF LADY BEETLES (COLEOPTERA, COCCINELLIDAE OF THE URALS

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Z. I. Tyumaseva

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The article contains the study of the trophic relations of the lady beetles living in the Urals. The study allocates three ecological groups depending on the peculiarities of the beetles and larvae nutrition: phytophages, micetophages, and entomophages-predators. We have revealed 66 species of lady birds-predators and two species-phytophages: Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata (Linnaeus, 1758 and Bulaea lichatschovii (Hummel, 1827. In the group of obligatory micetophages in the Urals we registered the representatives of the tribe Halyziini, it is Halyzia sedecimguttata (Linnaeus, 1758 and Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata (Linnaeus, 1758.

South-east frontier of the Russian Empire and the processes on the division of the Ural River left bank area between Kirghiz-Kaysaks and Ural Cossacks in the second half of the XIX century

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Alexey I. Kortunov

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The article highlights the issue related to the peculiarities of formation of the south-east frontier of the Russian Empire and with the process on separation of the border areas of the Orenburg line (in particular of the Ural River left bank area between Kirghiz-Kaysaks and Ural Cossacks in the second half of XIX century. The author pays particular attention to the problem of the resolution of disputes between the Ural Cossacks and Kirghiz-Kaysaks by local and central authorities.

Sub-fossil beetle assemblages associated with the "mammoth fauna" in the Late Pleistocene localities of the Ural Mountains and West Siberia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zinovyev, Evgeniy

2011-01-01

The distribution of beetles at the end of the Middle Pleninglacial (=terminal Quaternary) was examined based on sub-fossil material from the Ural Mountains and Western Siberia, Russia. All relevant localities of fossil insects have similar radiocarbon dates, ranging between 33,000 and 22,000 C14 years ago. Being situated across the vast territory from the southern Ural Mountains in the South to the middle Yamal Peninsula in the North, they allow latitudinal changes in beetle assemblages of that time to be traced. These beetles lived simultaneously with mammals of the so-called "mammoth fauna" with mammoth, bison, and wooly rhinoceros, the often co-occurring mega-mammalian bones at some of the sites being evidence of this. The beetle assemblages found between 59° and 57°N appear to be the most interesting. Their bulk is referred to as a "mixed" type, one which includes a characteristic combination of arcto-boreal, boreal, steppe and polyzonal species showing no analogues among recent insect complexes. These peculiar faunas seem to have represented a particular zonal type, which disappeared since the end of the Last Glaciation to arrive here with the extinction of the mammoth biota. In contrast, on the sites lying north of 60°N, the beetle communities were similar to modern sub-arctic and arctic faunas, yet with the participation of some sub-boreal steppe components, such as Poecilus ravus Lutshnik and Carabus sibiricus Fischer-Waldheim. This information, when compared with our knowledge of synchronous insect faunas from other regions of northern Eurasia, suggests that the former distribution of beetles in this region could be accounted for both by palaeo-environmental conditions and the impact of grazing by large ruminant mammals across the so-called "mammoth savannas".

Sub-fossil beetle assemblages associated with the “mammoth fauna” in the Late Pleistocene localities of the Ural Mountains and West Siberia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evgeniy Zinovyev

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The distribution of beetles at the end of the Middle Pleninglacial (=terminal Quaternary was examined based on sub-fossil material from the Ural Mountains and Western Siberia, Russia. All relevant localities of fossil insects have similar radiocarbon dates, ranging between 33,000 and 22,000 C14 years ago. Being situated across the vast territory from the southern Ural Mountains in the South to the middle Yamal Peninsula in the North, they allow latitudinal changes in beetle assemblages of that time to be traced. These beetles lived simultaneously with mammals of the so-called “mammoth fauna” with mammoth, bison, and wooly rhinoceros, the often co-occurring mega-mammalian bones at some of the sites being evidence of this. The beetle assemblages found between 59° and 57°N appear to be the most interesting. Their bulk is referred to as a “mixed” type, one which includes a characteristic combination of arcto-boreal, boreal, steppe and polyzonal species showing no analogues among recent insect complexes. These peculiar faunas seem to have represented a particular zonal type, which disappeared since the end of the Last Glaciation to arrive here with the extinction of the mammoth biota. In contrast, on the sites lying north of 60°N, the beetle communities were similar to modern sub-arctic and arctic faunas, yet with the participation of some sub-boreal steppe components, such as Poecilus ravus Lutshnik and Carabus sibiricus Fischer-Waldheim. This information, when compared with our knowledge of synchronous insect faunas from other regions of northern Eurasia, suggests that the former distribution of beetles in this region could be accounted for both by palaeo-environmental conditions and the impact of grazing by large ruminant mammals across the so-called “mammoth savannas”.

Estimation of food consumption from pellets cast by captive Ural Owls (Strix uralensis)

Science.gov (United States)

Aki Higuchi; Manabu T. Abe

1997-01-01

There is considerable data in the literature on the diet of the Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) based on pellet analysis. Though it is possible to identify prey items by this method, the volume of food consumption is still unknown. The population of Ural Owls in Japan is declining due to the reduction of old-growth forest and the concurrent loss of...

The preferred orientation of the metallurgical enterprises of the Urals to the domestic market — one of the most important conditions for economic security

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Igor' Il'ich Pichurin

2011-09-01

Full Text Available It this paper, the author tries to show that the export orientation of the Ural metallurgy, perceived until recently as its dignity and therefore encouraged by the authorities, actually poses a threat to economic security of the region. Being the basis of the regional economy and of Sverdlovsk region in particular, metallurgical industry has suffered serious loss during the global crisis of 2008-2009, thereby causing considerable damage to the socio-economic development of the region. It is generally accepted, but considered as a temporary loss, which was compensated at the end of the crisis. The author puts some suggestions forward on reduction of the global demand for metals in the coming decade. The author tries to prove that without reorientation of the Ural metallurgy onto the domestic market, such losses are very likely also in the future after the crisis overcoming.

Joint U.S./Russian studies of population exposures resulting from nuclear production activities in the southern Urals.

Science.gov (United States)

Napier, Bruce A

2014-02-01

Beginning in 1948, the Soviet Union initiated a program for production of nuclear materials for a weapons program. The first facility for production of plutonium was constructed in the central portion of the country east of the southern Ural Mountains, about halfway between the major industrial cities of Ekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk. The facility, now known as the Mayak Production Association, and its associated town, now known as Ozersk, were built to irradiate uranium in reactors, separate the resulting plutonium in reprocessing plants, and prepare plutonium metal in the metallurgical plant. The rush to production, coupled with inexperience in handling radioactive materials, led to large radiation exposures, not only to the workers in the facilities, but also to the surrounding public. Fuel processing started with no controls on releases, and fuel dissolution and accidents in reactors resulted in release of ~37 PBq of I between 1948 and 1967. Designed disposals of low- and intermediate-level liquid radioactive wastes, and accidental releases via cooling water from tank farms of high-level liquid radioactive wastes into the small Techa River, caused significant contamination and exposures to residents of numerous small riverside villages downstream of the site. Discovery of the magnitude of the aquatic contamination in late 1951 caused revisions to the waste handling regimes, but not before over 200 PBq of radionuclides (with large contributions of Sr and Cs) were released. Liquid wastes were diverted to tiny Lake Karachay (which today holds over 4 EBq); cooling water was stopped in the tank farms. In 1957, one of the tanks in the tank farm overheated and exploded; over 70 PBq, disproportionately Sr, was blown over a large area to the northeast of the site. A large area was contaminated and many villages evacuated. This area today is known as the East Urals Radioactive Trace (EURT). Each of these releases was significant; together they have created a unique group

Assessment of socioeconomic consequences of drug abuse in the Ural federal district

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Inessa Aleksandrovna Gurban

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The paper considers issues of the assessment of the socioeconomic consequences of drug abuse in today’s conditions, which have the following features — the approaching of drug-dealers to legalize the drug market, develop the illegal drug market and their analogs and derivatives by the introduction of modern production technologies and distribution of psychoactive agents. Key tendencies observed in the contemporary world in the field of dynamics of the drug market development, which are reflected in the regions of Russia including the Ural Federal District are revealed. The procedure of assessment of socioeconomic expenses of drug abuse including assessment of drug consumers’ expenses and their surrounding people; and also; maintenance costs of the state bodies supervising drug trafficking; expenses for health care and other social expenses connected to drug use; damage to individuals of drug abuse distribution; expenses of private institutions and establishments; socioeconomic impact of drug abuse distribution. The technique uses a tool allowing to carry out a calculation (a heroin equivalent, i.e. the drugs withdrawn by law enforcement agencies and the subsequent calculation of the corresponding number of consumers of each type of drug. This method is aimed at increasing the accuracy of estimates received. On the basis of results calculated according to offered technique, the shares of socioeconomic expenses of drug abuse concerning the income of the cumulative consolidated budget and a gross regional product of the Ural Federal District are defined.

Deviant subculture of student’s audience of the ural higher education institution

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Boris Sergeyevich Pavlov

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In the article, relevant problems of social and professional health of teachers of the Ural higher education institutions are analyzed. The author recognizes that the higher education is created as an interaction between participants of educational process, each of which at the same time acts both as the subject pursuing the valid aims, and as object of orientation for other individuals of the environment of the immediate environment. On the basis of statistical data, the author shows that in socio-economic behavior of the vast majority of students of the Ural higher education institutions are inherent as common features of deviant subculture of youth (addiction to alcohol and drugs, violence manifestations, prostitution etc., and special, connected with educational process (admissions of occupations, use of cribs, plagiarism when performing term papers, diplomas, roughness and tactlessness in relation to teachers, etc.. According to the author, the dominating deviant feautre of modern students — insufficiently developed diligence and unavailability to overcoming difficulties. Development of professional and personal qualities and competences of the expert assumes updating of motivation of students, their active adaptation to educational process, increase of their responsibility for assimilation of the training program and the social behavior accompanying it. The author assume that developen negative social well-being of professional group of teachers of the higher school is determined by low prestige of this profession in society, sharp differentiation of compensation on regions, an ambiguity of the purposes of reforming of the higher school, complication and ambiguity of their professional roles. Conclusions and offers of the article are based on results of a number of the complex sociological researche, which have been carried out in 2010-2013 in higher education institutions and comprehensive schools of Ural under the scientific management

Effects of Environmental Radioactive Pollution on the Cardiovascular Systems of Ural Region Residents: A Comparative Study

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Ekaterina Konstantinova

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this comparative study was to evaluate the effects of radioactive pollution in river water and confounding risk factors on the prevalence of cardiovascular symptoms in people living in the Ural region. Methods: We selected this region as a case territory for study because it is exposed to chronic ionizing radiation. The area is composed of coastal localities situated along the Techa River, into which liquid radioactive waste materials have been released. As a control, we selected settlements that were not subjected to ionizing radiation. Results: We found a statistically significant relationship between radioactive contamination of a territory and the prevalence of pathologies of the cardiovascular systems of people living in the Techa riverside villages (OR=2.31, p<0.001. The influence of covariates (gender, age, overweight status, and others on the development of cardiovascular pathologies was analyzed. Some of these factors have been recognized as confounding factors. After accounting for confounding factors, the odds ratio for the impact of radiation on the prevalence of pathologies of the cardiovascular system decreased to (OR=1.58, p=0.02. Conclusions: Statistically significant gender and age differences were observed in the prevalence of pathologies of the cardiovascular system in residents of radioactively contaminated areas compared to residents of control areas. These differences show a more pronounced reaction to contamination in older residents, residents with an overweight status and residents with meteotropic reactions.

Zircon's Archean of the Ural

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krasnobaev, A.A.; Cherednichenko, N.V.

2005-01-01

The age of zircons from metamorphic rocks of the Taratashsky complex located on the Western slope of the South Urals was determined by the methods of U-Pb isotope dating. The age values obtained suggest a two-stage model of the complex evolution at early stages of its existence. The age of 2913±133 mln. years identifies the age of granulite metamorphism, while the age 2127±65 mln. years indicates the period of the most intensive transformations of the rocks within the complex, which were accompanied by occurrence of high-temperature diaphthorites [ru

Radiation epidemiological analysis of late effects of population exposure at northern part of east ural radioactive trace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yarmoshenko, I.V.; Konshina, L.G.; Lezhnin, V.L.; Zhukovsky, M.V.; Pavlyuk, A.V.

2006-01-01

Population residing in the northern part of the Chelyabinsk oblast and the south eastern part of the Sverdlovsk oblast of Russia affected to accidental exposure since 1957. The territory (East Ural Radioactive Trace - EURT) was contaminated after explosion of container with highly radioactive wastes at the Mayak Production Association. Studies of health effects of exposure in the southern, head part of EURT are conducted in the Ural Research and Practical Center of Radiation Medicine (U.R.P.R.M.). In the 1990's U.R.P.C.R.M. formed a cohort of EURT within Chelyabinsk oblast (14,500 cases and 19,400 external controls). The cohort was followed in 1957-1987 and the results of the study are discussed by Crestinina et al. First results of study on exposure late health effects among rural population in the northern part of the EURT are presented in this paper. Firstly, or the period 1958-2000 a statistically significant increase in cancer mortality associated with accidental exposure at EURT area was observed in the critical group of population of the Kamensky district, Sverdlovsk Region (65 cancer deaths among 691 cases, 90% CI 18-144). The finding is in agreement with the results of a radiation epidemiological study in the southern head part of EURT and model radiation risk assessments. E.R.R. normalized to colon dose is 1.3 Gy-1 (90 % CI 0.36-2.9 Gy-1). Secondly, analysis of the age and temporal factors influence on solid cancers radiation risk allows conclusion on decline of radiation risk in time. At present considerable number of additional radiation-induced cancer deaths are unlikely to appear. Radiation risk of solid cancers realizes at most during 30 post-accident years. Radiation risk declines with age at first exposure and not appeared in the age group >60. Derived age and time dependencies generally agree with results of other radiation epidemiological studies. Thirdly, continuation and development of radiation epidemiological study of the population residing

Radiation epidemiological analysis of late effects of population exposure at northern part of east ural radioactive trace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yarmoshenko, I.V.; Konshina, L.G.; Lezhnin, V.L.; Zhukovsky, M.V.; Pavlyuk, A.V. [V.N. Chukanov Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS, Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation)

2006-07-01

Population residing in the northern part of the Chelyabinsk oblast and the south eastern part of the Sverdlovsk oblast of Russia affected to accidental exposure since 1957. The territory (East Ural Radioactive Trace - EURT) was contaminated after explosion of container with highly radioactive wastes at the Mayak Production Association. Studies of health effects of exposure in the southern, head part of EURT are conducted in the Ural Research and Practical Center of Radiation Medicine (U.R.P.R.M.). In the 1990's U.R.P.C.R.M. formed a cohort of EURT within Chelyabinsk oblast (14,500 cases and 19,400 external controls). The cohort was followed in 1957-1987 and the results of the study are discussed by Crestinina et al. First results of study on exposure late health effects among rural population in the northern part of the EURT are presented in this paper. Firstly, or the period 1958-2000 a statistically significant increase in cancer mortality associated with accidental exposure at EURT area was observed in the critical group of population of the Kamensky district, Sverdlovsk Region (65 cancer deaths among 691 cases, 90% CI 18-144). The finding is in agreement with the results of a radiation epidemiological study in the southern head part of EURT and model radiation risk assessments. E.R.R. normalized to colon dose is 1.3 Gy-1 (90 % CI 0.36-2.9 Gy-1). Secondly, analysis of the age and temporal factors influence on solid cancers radiation risk allows conclusion on decline of radiation risk in time. At present considerable number of additional radiation-induced cancer deaths are unlikely to appear. Radiation risk of solid cancers realizes at most during 30 post-accident years. Radiation risk declines with age at first exposure and not appeared in the age group >60. Derived age and time dependencies generally agree with results of other radiation epidemiological studies. Thirdly, continuation and development of radiation epidemiological study of the population

Some problems of risk assessment in cases of environmental radioactive and chemical contamination in regions of the Ural radioactive trail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kryshev, I.I.; Isaeva, L.N.; Sazykina, T.G.

1995-01-01

A methodology of risk assessment if being developed to permit the analysis of possible consequences of radioactive and chemical environment contamination on the territory of the Urals radioactive trail. The assessment of hazards from radioactive contamination of the Techa river (Muslyumovo) has been carried out. A comparison of radioactive and chemical risks for the population of Kasli has been made

BREED PREFERENCES AND EFFECTIVENESS OF BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH URAL

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A. Mashenkov

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Efficiency of beekeeping is defined by breed of bees and melliferous herbs. In the conditions of sharply continental climate of South Ural, duration of success of beekeeping is provided with breed of bees.

Harmonization of dosimetric information obtained by different EPR methods: Experience of the Techa river study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Volchkova, A. [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68A, Vorovsky Str., 454076 Chelyabinsk (Russian Federation); Shishkina, E.A., E-mail: ElenaA.Shishkina@gmail.com [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68A, Vorovsky Str., 454076 Chelyabinsk (Russian Federation); Ivanov, D. [Institute of Metal Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 18, S. Kovalevskoy Str., 620041 Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Timofeev, Yu. [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68A, Vorovsky Str., 454076 Chelyabinsk (Russian Federation); Fattibene, P.; Della Monaca, S. [Istituto Superiore di Sanita and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome (Italy); Wieser, A. [Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, D-85764 Neuherberg (Germany); Degteva, M.O. [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68A, Vorovsky Str., 454076 Chelyabinsk (Russian Federation)

2011-09-15

Between 1949 and 1956 the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia) was contaminated as a result of releases of radioactive waste by the Mayak Production Association. EPR dosimetry with tooth enamel has been used to estimate the external exposure of Techa riverside residents over the last 17 years. The database 'Tooth' of the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine (URCRM) has accumulated about 1000 EPR measurements of tooth enamel from the rural population of the Urals region. The teeth were investigated by laboratories of Russia, USA, Germany and Italy. Most of the enamel samples were measured several times in different laboratories. Each laboratory used different equipment and its own methods for sample preparation and EPR spectra analysis. Even measurements performed at the same laboratory over 10-15 years may not be assumed as uniform: methods change with time, and equipment is subject to aging. These two factors influenced EPR performance. The purpose of this study is, therefore, the harmonization of EPR data accumulated during long-term dosimetric investigations in the Southern Urals for further pooled analysis. The results will be used for external dose evaluation in the Techa River region.

The Southern HII Region Discovery Survey: The Bright Catalog

Science.gov (United States)

Wenger, Trey V.; Dickey, John M.; Jordan, Christopher H.; Balser, Dana; Armentrout, William Paul; Anderson, Loren; Bania, Thomas; Dawson, Joanne; McClure-Griffiths, Naomi M.; Shea, Jeanine

2018-01-01

HII regions, the zones of ionized gas surrounding recently formed high-mass stars, are the archetypical tracers of Galactic structure. The census of Galactic HII regions in the Southern sky is vastly incomplete due to a lack of sensitive radio recombination line (RRL) surveys. The Southern HII Region Discovery Survey (SHRDS) is a 900-hour Australia Telescope Compact Array cm-wavelength RRL and continuum emission survey of hundreds of third and fourth quadrant Galactic HII region candidates. These candidates are identified in the Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Catalog of Galactic HII Regions based on coincident 10 micron (WISE) and 20 cm (Southern Galactic Plane Survey) emission. The SHRDS is an extension of HII Region Discovery Surveys in the Northern sky with the Green Bank Telescope and Arecibo Telescope which discovered ~800 new HII regions. In the first 500 hours of the SHRDS, we targeted the 249 brightest HII region candidates and 33 previously known HII regions. We discuss the data reduction, analysis, and preliminary results from this first stage of the survey.

Natural and anthropogenic influences on depositional architecture of the Ural Delta, Kazakhstan, northern Caspian Sea, during the past 70 years

Science.gov (United States)

Scarelli, Frederico M.; Cantelli, Luigi; Barboza, Eduardo G.; Gabbianelli, Giovanni

2017-05-01

This paper focuses on the Ural Delta in the northern zone of the Caspian Sea, an area with particular characteristics, where intense influence from anthropogenic and natural factors exists, which acts on the fragile delta system. We built a database to integrate the data from the published sources, bathymetric survey, and recent images in the geographical information system (GIS) environment. The results were linked to the Caspian Sea level (CSL) curve, which had many variations, changing the Ural Delta system's dynamics and in its architecture. In addition, the anthropogenic changes contribute to shaping the actual Ural Delta architecture. Through the link between the results and CSL, we reconstructed an evolution model for the Ural Delta system for the last century and identified three different architectures for the Ural Delta, determined by the energy that acted on the system in the last century and by the anthropogenic changes. This work identifies six different delta phases, which are shaped by CSL changes during the last 70 years and by anthropogenic changes. The delta phases recognized are: i) a Lobate Delta phase, shaped during high CSL before 1935; ii) Natural Elongate Delta 1935-1950 formed during rapid CSL fall; iii) Anthropogenic Elongate Delta 1950-1966, formed during rapid CSL fall and after the Ural-Caspian Sea canal construction, which modified the sedimentary deposition on the delta; iv) Anthropogenic Elongate Delta 1966-1982 shaped during low CSL phase; v) Anthropogenic Elongate Delta 1982-1996 formed during a rapid CSL rise phase; and vi) Anthropogenic Elongate Delta 1996-2009 shaped during high CSL that represent the last phase and actual Ural Delta architecture.

Transformation of institute of a family in Ural in the conditions of socio-economic destructions

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Boris Sergeyevich Pavlov

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the analysis of social risks and deviations related to family group in Ural, manifestations of these risks for a family way of life, socio-economic development of the region. The author emphasizes that today the dialectics of creation and destructions, risks and reliability, optimism and pessimism is illustrated in the various parts of the institute of family in Russia as a whole and, in particular, in the Ural region. In our modern age, there is no risk-free behavior. «Risk — safety» dichotomy means that there is no absolute reliability or safety. Whereas «risk — danger» dichotomy means that it is impossible to avoid risk, making any decisions. The author shows the identity of socio-economic health of the adult population of various regions of the Russian Federation throughout almost the whole quarter of a century on the basis of a number of research assignments conducted by sociologists of Institute of Economics of the UB RAS, in a monitoring mode. Division of the population on rather identical (on particular weight in the total number of the population groups of the Russian society referred to the category of «rich», «medium people» and «poor people» is observed. At the same time, according to the author, the social inequality in principle has both positive, and negative consequences for functioning and society development. The author made an attempt of the problem analysis of «family — children», «fathers — children» from a perspective social risks. The special relevance of these processes in relation to family policy in Russia seeking to pass from depopulation tendencies to a favorable treatment of nation-expanded reproduction is emphasized. Altogether, the level of family wellbeing, first of all, is defined by the quality of the relations in the system of «parents — children». The intra-familial conflicts conduct to family trouble and so for children. In article, the author’s position

Radioactive inventories from the Kyshtym and Karachay accidents: estimates based on soil samples collected in the South Urals (1990-1995)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aarkrog, A.; Dahlgaard, H.; Nielsen, S.P.

1997-01-01

The implementation of the nuclear programme in the Cheliabinsk region in the Ural, where plutonium for the first Soviet nuclear weapons was produced, involved radioactive contamination of the environment. The end of the cold war in the late 1980s initiated a fruitful co-operation between Russian...... and Western radioecologists. The present study is a joint Russian-Ukrainian-Danish effort to make an independent estimate of the inventories of Sr-90, Cs-137 and Pu-239,Pu-240 from two major contamination events in the South Urals, namely, the Kyshtym accident in 1957 and the Karachay wind dispersion in 1967....... The calculations are based upon deposition measurements of the radionuclides carried out on soil samples assuming that the depositions decreased exponentially with distance from the two sources. The inventory estimates are compared with the available Russian information on the two accidents. (C) 1997 Elsevier...

Comparisons of invasive plants in southern Africa originating from southern temperate, northern temperate and tropical regions

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L. Henderson

2006-08-01

Full Text Available A subset of invasive alien plant species in southern Africa was analysed in terms of their history of introduction, rate of spread, countries/region of origin, taxonomy, growth forms, cultivated uses, weed status and current distribution in southern Africa, and comparisons made of those originating from south of the tropic of Capricorn, north of the tropic of Cancer and from the tropics. The subset of 233 species, belonging to 58 families, includes all important declared species and some potentially important species. Almost as many species originate from temperate regions (112 as from the tropics (121. Most southern temperate species came from Australia (28/36, most tropical species from tropical America (92/121 and most northern temperate species from Europe (including the Mediterranean and Asia (58/76. Transformers account for 33% of  all species. More transformers are of tropical origin (36 than of northern temperate (24 and southern temperate origin (18. However. 50% of southern temperate species are transformers, compared to 32% of northern temperate and 29% of tropical species. Southern temperate transformer species are mainly woody trees and shrubs that were established on a grand scale as silvicultural crops, barriers (hedges, windbreaks and screens and cover/binders. Most aquatics, herbs, climbers and succulent shrubs an. trom the tropics. Ornamentals are the single largest category of plants from all three regions, the tropics having contributed twice as many species as temperate regions.

Southern Appalachian Regional Seismic Network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiu, S.C.C.; Johnston, A.C.; Chiu, J.M. [Memphis State Univ., TN (United States). Center for Earthquake Research and Information

1994-08-01

The seismic activity in the southern Appalachian area was monitored by the Southern Appalachian Regional Seismic Network (SARSN) since late 1979 by the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at Memphis State University. This network provides good spatial coverage for earthquake locations especially in east Tennessee. The level of activity concentrates more heavily in the Valley and Ridge province of eastern Tennessee, as opposed to the Blue Ridge or Inner Piedmont. The large majority of these events lie between New York - Alabama lineament and the Clingman/Ocoee lineament, magnetic anomalies produced by deep-seated basement structures. Therefore SARSN, even with its wide station spacing, has been able to define the essential first-order seismological characteristics of the Southern Appalachian seismic zone. The focal depths of the southeastern U.S. earthquakes concentrate between 8 and 16 km, occurring principally beneath the Appalachian overthrust. In cross-sectional views, the average seismicity is shallower to the east beneath the Blue Ridge and Piedmont provinces and deeper to the west beneath the Valley and Ridge and the North American craton. Results of recent focal mechanism studies by using the CERI digital earthquake catalog between October, 1986 and December, 1991, indicate that the basement of the Valley and Ridge province is under a horizontal, NE-SW compressive stress. Right-lateral strike-slip faulting on nearly north-south fault planes is preferred because it agrees with the trend of the regional magnetic anomaly pattern.

Southern Appalachian Regional Seismic Network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, S.C.C.; Johnston, A.C.; Chiu, J.M.

1994-08-01

The seismic activity in the southern Appalachian area was monitored by the Southern Appalachian Regional Seismic Network (SARSN) since late 1979 by the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at Memphis State University. This network provides good spatial coverage for earthquake locations especially in east Tennessee. The level of activity concentrates more heavily in the Valley and Ridge province of eastern Tennessee, as opposed to the Blue Ridge or Inner Piedmont. The large majority of these events lie between New York - Alabama lineament and the Clingman/Ocoee lineament, magnetic anomalies produced by deep-seated basement structures. Therefore SARSN, even with its wide station spacing, has been able to define the essential first-order seismological characteristics of the Southern Appalachian seismic zone. The focal depths of the southeastern U.S. earthquakes concentrate between 8 and 16 km, occurring principally beneath the Appalachian overthrust. In cross-sectional views, the average seismicity is shallower to the east beneath the Blue Ridge and Piedmont provinces and deeper to the west beneath the Valley and Ridge and the North American craton. Results of recent focal mechanism studies by using the CERI digital earthquake catalog between October, 1986 and December, 1991, indicate that the basement of the Valley and Ridge province is under a horizontal, NE-SW compressive stress. Right-lateral strike-slip faulting on nearly north-south fault planes is preferred because it agrees with the trend of the regional magnetic anomaly pattern

Regional Social Infrastructure Management as the Instrument for Improving the Quality of Life in the Ural Federal District

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Valentina Sergeyevna Antonyuk

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes the processes of the social sphere and the effective operation of social infrastructure in order to improve the quality of life of the population in the Russian regions. Particular attention is paid to the role of the organizational and managerial component affecting usage performance of infrastructure objects and including regulation of the institutions of social infrastructure, planning and software. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of management of social infrastructure through the conjugation of immediate results (the dynamics of indicators of social services and outcomes (parameters of the quality of life of the population. The hypothesis of the study was the violation of the principle of infra-systematicity in the infrastructural support of the improvement of the quality of life in the Russian regions, due to the lack of effectiveness of public administration. In the study, the following methodological approaches are used: structural, factoral, systematic and evolutionary approaches to justify the conception, develop methodology and determine the impact of changes in the parameters of social infrastructure availability for the provided services, shifts in indexes of quality of life. The paper proposes the quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of organizational management based on the diagnosis of the adequacy of the implementation of the principle of infra-systematicity in the functioning of social infrastructure on the basis of the elasticity coefficient. The proposed approach and the received analytical data on health, education, commerce, housing, culture and sport fields have allowed to range the regions of the Ural Federal District and highlight the areas of insufficient effectiveness of the organizational and management tool for improvement of life quality. The findings of the research may serve as a core for practical recommendations for executive bodies of administrative units of

Modernization of the Ural Metallurgy during the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945

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Vladimir V. Zaparii

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The article characterizes the Ural industry modernization in war footing, shows the significance of evacuation of enterprises from the Western areas of the country to the region, reveals their role in the formation of a new metallurgical center of modern metallurgy in terms of human resources and manufacture. Innovations in metallurgy, the role of human factor in solving industrial restructuring problem are examined. Forms and methods of science use for the industrial modernization are considered. Solving of human resources problem is shown. The author touches upon the problem of metallurgical sector management in wartime. The role of people’s heroism in this difficult period of Russian history is discussed.

Regional Geography Is Dead: Long Live Regional Geography! With an Example from Southern Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Russell

1979-01-01

Recounts criticisms of regional geography and points out three reasons for retaining it: growth of regional science, area studies, and regional planning. Evaluates Southern Italy as an example of the uses of regional analyses. For journal availability, see SO 507 291. (Author/CK)

Regional Development and Sustainability: Cultural Tourism in the Southern Region of Jalisco

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José G. Vargas-Hernández

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This study aims to determine the potential of cultural tourism in the municipalities that comprise region 6 of the State of Jalisco, territorially delimited in the South of Jalisco. (Subject is missing Are tested first to identify the demand for cultural tourism to determine the profile of the cultural tourist under the assumptions that tourists especially motivated by culture tend to travel longer distances than most tourists. It discusses the motivations and satisfactions of cultural tourists in order to establish the potential market in accordance with the characteristics of the target market in the southern region of Jalisco. Any operation of cultural tourism companies should make the strategic diagnosis, which explains the use of SWOT analysis as a tool for strategic planning of cultural tourism enterprises. Finally, we propose some development strategies of cultural tourism in this region of Southern Jalisco.

The Southern Ocean and South Pacific Region

OpenAIRE

Kelleher, K.; Warnau, Michel; Failler, Pierre; Pecl, Gretta; Turley, Carol; Boeuf, Gilles; Laffoley, Dan; Parker, Laura; Gurney, Leigh

2012-01-01

The Region comprises three sub-regions (FAO Statistical Areas) with very different characteristics. The South Pacific includes the vast and virtually unpopulated Southern Ocean surrounding the Antarctic. It has the world’s largest fisheries off Peru and Chile and some of the world’s best managed fisheries in Australia and New Zealand. The Region has over 27% of the world’s ocean area and over 98% of the Region’s total area of 91 million km2 is ‘open ocean’. The Region contains less than 5% of...

Radiation accident at the South Urals in 1957

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikipelov, B.V.; Romanov, G.N.; Buldakov, L.A.; Babaev, N.S.; Kholina, Yu.B.; Mikerin, E.I.

1989-01-01

Radiation accidents with release of radioactive substances into environment which took place in the South Ural in 1957 is evaluated. Scientific researches conducted since 1957 are described. Scientific data of unique fundamental and applied value were obtaibed. Recommendations for the organization and content of radiation sanctuary are developed. Scientific researches permitted to make reliable long-turm prediction of radiation situation developed owing to the Chernobyl NPP accident and to work out practical recommendations so as to reduce adverse aftereffects of the accident

A geological substantiation of the prospects for oil and gas concentrations in the Eifelian and lower Frasnian deposits and trends for prospecting and exploratory operations in the southwestern Orenburg region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Podkoiytov, N.G.; Astafyev, D.A.

1984-01-01

The Eifelian and lower Frasnian deposits, which have the general traits of a regional structure within the southern portion of the Urals and Volga Valley, are a unified structural-lithologic complex. The prediction of oil and gas concentrations in this complex to the south of the Orenburg region is confirmed by discovery of a number of fields (Tashlin and the Olkhov fields, etc.). The regional structure of the Eifelian and lower Frasnian complex is characterized by a D type reflecting seismic bed which coincides with the surface of this complex. To the west of the region, a Kanelik Chagansk system of flexures has been identified and to the south, localized upheavals within the Talovo Koshin swell have been identified.

The southern region renal transplant program at armed forces hospital, khamis mushayt.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, A S; Al-Hashemy, A; Addous, A J; Ismail, G

1996-01-01

The Southern Region renal transplant program was established in February 1989. The appointment of a transplant co-ordinator and creation of a waiting list for the Southern Region as well as tissue typing of all patients in the region were important early steps. Between February 1989 and December 1995, 155 transplants were performed on 152 patients at the Armed Forces Hospital, Southern Region (AFHSR). Of them, 52 were cadaveric donor transplants and the remaining were from living related donors. The overall five-year actuarial patient and graft survival was 93% and 78% respectively. Of the 152 patients who were transplanted, 79 patients were from other hospitals in the region and 73 were from AFHSR. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporin, azathioprine and prednisolone. Use of the spouse as a donor was an early feature of this program. Our results compare favorably with results published from other centers. To cope with the increasing demand of transplantation in the Southern Region, we have to look into ways of increasing our transplant numbers to match the needs.

Reduction of Sulphur Content of Urals Crude Oil Prior to Processing ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The presence of sulphur in crude oil poses enormous challenges as regards its negative environmental and economic impacts. As such, the safety of the personnel and the equipment is at high risk during the processing of Urals crude oil in Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) because of its sour nature.

Regional Aspects of New Industrialization

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Yakov Petrovich Silin

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In the article, the authors substantiate the need to consider the regional economic and other conditions when carrying out various essential transformations in the national economy of the country. We have argued the importance of new industrialization for overcoming the technological lag of the country and its regions and for supporting the large-scale structural transformations. We have proved that the complex set of the interconnected concepts and the theories of macro- and microlevels may be the theoretical platform for the paradigm of new industrialization. These are the theory of economic growth, the theory of the modernization of the economy, the theory of the change of technological ways during the industrial revolutions, theories of innovative development, developments in the field of the institutional theory. The authors have shown that the transition to new industrialization is the fundamental historical pattern for the majority of the countries of the world, including industrially developed ones. The purpose of the article is to identify the brightest tendencies and features of the development of the Ural macro-region in the years of market reforms as well as the definition of the strategic transformations in the context of the formation of new industrialization. The hypothesis of the research assumes that the revealed regional features of the Ural macroregion’s economic development are the prerequisites of its development as the centre of the modernization of the Russian economy. On the basis of the analysis of three groups of statistic data for the twenty-five year period of liberal and monetary reforms, the brightest tendencies and features of the development of the Ural macro-region are revealed. We have emphasized that the Ural macro-region has managed to keep its historically developed code — the industrial model of the economy, which have been developing for many decades. The authors have made a significant contribution of

Mound No. 24 of the Alebastrovo I Burial Ground and the Problem of Succession Among the Early Nomadic Cultures of the Southern Urals in the 6th – 4th and 3rd – 1st Centuries BC

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Denis V. Maryksin

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on one of the burial mounds – Alebastrovo I, which is situated in the middle reaches of the Ural river. The analysis of the burial rite and grave goods reveals the combination of features peculiar of the culture of early nomads from the 6th to the 4th centuries BC and later features typical for the 3rd – 1st centuries BC. The collective nature of the burial in a large square pit (burial no. 2 relates to early features. Such burials are typical for the 5th and 4th centuries BC. But a dagger with a direct crosshair and a crescent-shaped pommel found in the burial belongs to the 3rd – 1st centuries BC. Findings of a mirror, a spoon and a whorl also deserve special attention. On formal grounds a mirror belongs to the type “Skripkin 1.6” – with a flat disk without roll and stick in the form of a triangular stem. They appeared in Sauromatian time, but were not widespread. Most of these mirrors refer to the turn of the eras – the first centuries AD. However, in our view the mirror from Alebastrovo I has the greatest similarity with the mirror disks of the so-called “musical” mirrors, which date back to the 2nd half of the 4th century BC. The bone spoon belongs to the type I, peculiar of the Sauromatian-time things of the 6th – 4th centuries BC. However, the pattern is similar to that on the handle of the bone products of later time – the 3rd – 2nd centuries BC. Clay whorl has a pattern in the form of 4 sectors, decorated with grooves and pits. Analogies are available on this ornament spindles from the 3rd – 2nd centuries BC of the Kara-Abyz culture in the Southern Urals. According to the set of attributes, this burial mound dated to the second half of the 3rd - 2nd centuries BC. The finds from this burial mound confirm the conclusion of the first explorer B. F. Zhelezchikov about continuity of the development of the early nomadic culture of this region in the 6th – 3rd centuries BC.

Winged messengers of disaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medvedev, Z.

1977-01-01

The work of the Soviet ecologists, led by A.I. Il'enko, on birds in the southern Urals area, site of the nuclear disaster in 1958, is discussed. The distribution of 90 Sr and 137 Cs in birds, food chains in a large running-water lake, bird migration patterns, and nest conservatism of ducks have been studied. It is pointed out that the existence of migratory species among contaminated species of the southern Urals provides an opportunity for observers in the West to test the truth about the 1958 nuclear disaster in the southern Urals. It is felt that the reports discussed here corroborate the author's original statement that the Urals nuclear disaster involved nuclear waste rather than a major reactor accident. (U.K.)

Kala-tau Hill as a Medieval Monument of Archaeology and Epigraphy in the Western Urals

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Gabdrafikov I.M.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To provide a description of Starokalmashevo hillfort and the Starokalmashevo gravestone with an Arabic epitaph found in the mid-20th century in close proximity to the site of ancient settlement. They are here described not only as monuments of the Middle Ages, but also as objects of historical heritage testifying to the continuous process of ethno-culturogenesis in the Western Cis-Urals up to modern times. Research materials: The author considers the issues of medieval history, ethno- and cultural genesis of the Western Cis-Urals in light of the example of the Starokalmashevo hillfort, located on the hill of Kala-tau (Chekmagushevsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan, as well as the Starokalmashevo gravestone. The author provides a complex description of these archaeological and cultural monuments and points out the importance of preserving these objects as an integral part of the local population and the entire Volga-Ural region’s collective historical memory. Research novelty: The author presents new materials, including the stories of community elders about the origin of the above-mentioned archaeological sites. He analyzes the inscriptions on the tombstone, including its new reading, and draws a conclusion about the continuity of the population of this territory for a sustained period.

The Southern HII Region Discovery Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Wenger, Trey; Miller Dickey, John; Jordan, Christopher; Bania, Thomas M.; Balser, Dana S.; Dawson, Joanne; Anderson, Loren D.; Armentrout, William P.; McClure-Griffiths, Naomi

2016-01-01

HII regions are zones of ionized gas surrounding recently formed high-mass (OB-type) stars. They are among the brightest objects in the sky at radio wavelengths. HII regions provide a useful tool in constraining the Galactic morphological structure, chemical structure, and star formation rate. We describe the Southern HII Region Discovery Survey (SHRDS), an Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) survey that discovered ~80 new HII regions (so far) in the Galactic longitude range 230 degrees to 360 degrees. This project is an extension of the Green Bank Telescope HII Region Discovery Survey (GBT HRDS), Arecibo HRDS, and GBT Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) HRDS, which together discovered ~800 new HII regions in the Galactic longitude range -20 degrees to 270 degrees. Similar to those surveys, candidate HII regions were chosen from 20 micron emission (from WISE) coincident with 10 micron (WISE) and 20 cm (SGPS) emission. By using the ATCA to detect radio continuum and radio recombination line emission from a subset of these candidates, we have added to the population of known Galactic HII regions.

Development of Forest Population Biology and Biogeocenology in the Urals

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S. N. Sannikov

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The priority directions, concepts, approaches, methods and results of half a century investigations of forest genetics, ecology, geography and biogeocenology in the Ural school of population biology of woody plants are briefly discussed. The results of quantitative genetic-ecologic-geographical studies of the forests based on population approaches as well as main theoretic generalizations are presented, to assist possible interpretation and development of future investigations.

PRIORITIES OF REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY: THE ISSUES OF DIAGNOSTICS

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T. I. Kudryavtseva

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Methods of eliciting priority ecological problems are analyzed in the article. The problem of air pollution is considered to be the foreground issue for both the Ural Federal District and Russia; that was due substantiated. An extended technique of setting priorities for air pollutants and techniques for integral ecological and social assessment of air pollution acuteness extent in the region have been offered; calculations for the Ural Federal District have been made according to the techniques mentioned.

How can design be a platform for the development of a regional cluster in the Region of Southern Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Susanne; Christensen, Poul Rind

2013-01-01

Analyses of key factors for the emergence of a cluster and the formation of a design cluster in the region of Southern Denmark......Analyses of key factors for the emergence of a cluster and the formation of a design cluster in the region of Southern Denmark...

77 FR 74454 - Media Outlets for Publication of Legal and Action Notices in the Southern Region

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-14

... Outlets for Publication of Legal and Action Notices in the Southern Region AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Deciding Officers in the Southern Region will publish notice of decisions... newspapers listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. The Southern Region consists of...

Quintinite-1 M from the Mariinsky Deposit, Ural Emerald Mines, Central Urals, Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Zhitova, E. S.; Popov, M. P.; Krivovichev, S. V.; Zaitsev, A. N.; Vlasenko, N. S.

2017-12-01

The paper describes the first finding of quintinite [Mg4Al2(OH)12][(CO3)(H2O)3] at the Mariinsky deposit in the Central Urals, Russia. The mineral occurs as white tabular crystals in cavities within altered gabbro in association with prehnite, calcite, and a chlorite-group mineral. Quintinite is the probable result of late hydrothermal alteration of primary mafic and ultramafic rocks hosting emerald-bearing glimmerite. According to electron microprobe data, the Mg: Al ratio is 2: 1. IR spectroscopy has revealed hydroxyl and carbonate groups and H2O molecules in the mineral. According to single crystal XRD data, quintinite is monoclinic, space group C2/ m, a =5.233(1), b = 9.051(2), c = 7.711(2) Å, β = 103.09(3)°, V = 355.7(2) Å3. Based on structure refinement, the polytype of quintinite should be denoted as 1M. This is the third approved occurrence of quintinite-1M in the world after the Kovdor complex and Bazhenovsky chrysotile-asbestos deposit.

PROSPECTS OF REGIONAL NETWORK STRUCTURES IN THE SOUTHERN FEDERAL DISTRICT

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I. V. Morozov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article reveals the possibility of the Southern Federal District to form regional network structures. The prospects for the formation of networks in the region in relation to the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014.

Primary health care in the Southern Mediterranean region.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weide, M.G.; Fakiri, F. el; Kulu Glasgow, I.; Grielen, S.J.; Zee, J. van der

1998-01-01

This book gives an overview of primary health care in the Southern Mediterranean region. For twelve countries detailed information is provided on the structure and financing of health care, the organisation of primary care (including mother and child health care and immunisation programmes), health

U-Pb (SHRIMP II) Age of zircons from ash tuffs of the upper vendian Chernyi Kamen formation (Sylvitsa group, Middle Urals)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ronkin, Yu.L.; Grazhdankin, D.V.; Maslov, A.V.; Mizens, G.A.; Matukov, D.I.; Krupenin, M.T.; Petrov, G.A.; Lepikhina, O.P.; Kornilova, A.Yu.

2006-01-01

To make more precise the model of correlation of the Middle Urals western slope upper vendian layers with the White Sea remote layers one carried out the SHRIMP-II procedure base U-Pb-dating of the volcanogenic zircons from the ash tuffs and of the volcanogenic zircon enclosing argillites of the Middle Urals Chernyi Kamen formation. The obtained age value of the studied zircons equal to 557+-13 million years is in line with the geological data [ru

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ON THE URALS INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES

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L.A. Mochalova

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of analysis of introduction and development of environmental management systems on the Urals enterprises by mining and smelting industry which was conducted by questioning of their representatives. Object of the research were showing up of positive and negative features in construction of corporative environmental management systems according to recommendations of standards ISO 14000 and comparison of our and foreign experience.

The age and emplacement of obducted oceanic crust in the Urals from Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr systematics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, R.L.; Wasserburg, G.J.

1985-01-01

The Urals contain a 2000 km belt of mafic-ultramafic bodies. The Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr systematics of two of these bodies, the Kempersai Massif in the South Ural Mountains and the Voykar-Syninsky Ophiolite Complex in the Polar Ural Mountains have been examined. These data confirm the hypothesis that these bodies represent fragments of pre-collision oceanic crust and establish constraints on the nature and timing of events in the Uralian Orogeny. Two Kempersai gabbros define Sm-Nd internal isochrons of 397 +- 20 My and 396 +- 33 My with epsilonsub(Nd)(T) = +8.7 -+ 0.6 and +8.4 -+ 1.3, respectively. Whole rock samples of pillow basalt, diabase, gabbros, troctolite, and a metasediment give Sm-Nd values which lie on this isochron indicating that these rocks are genetically related and have an igneous crystallization age of 397 My. Whole rock samples of Voykar-Syninsky diabase, gabbros, and clinopyroxenite give Sm-Nd values which lie on or within proportional 1 epsilon-unit of this isochron indicating an age and epsilonsub(Nd)(T) virtually identical to those of Kempersai. epsilonsub(Nd)(T) for the Kempersai and Voykar-Syninsky mafic samples range from +7.3 to +9.0 with an average value of +8.4. This indicates that the Urals ophiolites are derived from an ancient depleted mantle source and are most plausibly pieces of the oceanic crust and lithosphere. The fact that a metasediment has the same epsilonsub(Nd)(397 My) as the other samples indicates derivation from an oceanic source with negligible continental input. epsilonsub(Nd)(T) for the massifs is proportional 1.5 epsilon-units lower than the average for modern MORBs. (orig./HSI)

A classic Late Frasnian chondrichthyan assemblage from southern Belgium

Science.gov (United States)

Ginter, Michał; Gouwy, Sofie; Goolaerts, Stijn

2017-09-01

Samples from the Upper Frasnian (Devonian) of Lompret Quarry and Nismes railway section in Dinant Synclinorium, southern Belgium, yielded several chondrichthyan teeth and scales. The teeth belong to three genera: Phoebodus, Cladodoides and Protacrodus. The comparison with selected Late Frasnian chondrichthyan assemblages from the seas between Laurussia and Gondwana revealed substantial local differences of taxonomic composition due to palaeoenvironmental conditions, such as depth, distance to submarine platforms, oxygenation of water, and possibly also temperature. The assemblage from Belgium, with its high frequency of phoebodonts, is the most similar to that from the Ryauzyak section, South Urals, Russia, and the Horse Spring section, Canning Basin, Australia.

The Southern HII Region Discovery Survey: Preliminary Results

Science.gov (United States)

Shea, Jeanine; Wenger, Trey; Balser, Dana S.; Anderson, Loren D.; Armentrout, William P.; Bania, Thomas M.; Dawson, Joanne; Miller Dickey, John; Jordan, Christopher; McClure-Griffiths, Naomi M.

2017-01-01

HII regions are some of the brightest sources at radio frequencies in the Milky Way and are the sites of massive O and B-type star formation. They have relatively short (Bank Telescope. Candidate HII regions were selected from mid-infrared emission coincident with radio continuum emission, and confirmed as HII regions by the detection of radio recombination lines. Here we discuss the Southern HII Region Discovery Survey (SHRDS), a continuation of the HRDS using the Australia Telescope Compact Array over the Galactic longitude range 230 to 360 degrees. We have reduced and analyzed a small sub-set of the SHRDS sources and discuss preliminary results, including kinematic distances and metallicities.

Accumulation of Heavy Metals by Small Mammals the Background and Polluted Territories of the Urals

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Kovalchuk L. A.

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Accumulation of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd in hemopoietic-competent organs of ecologically contrast species of small mammals (Clethrionomys glareolus, Sorex araneus, Apodemus uralensis from natural populations of the Middle and South Urals were considered. The content of exogenous and essential trace elements in animal tissues (a liver, kidney, a spleen was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. It has been shown that bioaccumulation of heavy metals in organs of insectivores significantly differs from it of bank voles and wood mice. The smallest total content of heavy metals is shown in wood mice in technogenic territories of the Middle Urals. The submitted data demonstrate the competitive mechanism of the Cu, Zn, Cd. The increased concentrations of endogenous trace elements (copper, zinc in relation to a toxicant (cadmium, other things being equal, reduce cadmium accumulation level in the tissues Sorex araneus.

The reconstruction of Lymantria dispar outbreaks by dendrochronological methods in the South Urals

Science.gov (United States)

Sergei Kucherov

1991-01-01

Interest in investigating the influence of extreme ecological factors on the radial growth of oak (Quercus robur L.) is bound up with oak dieback in the South Urals during the last decade. Factors contributing to this problem in the study area are hard winter frosts, late spring frosts, and Lymantria dispar L. outbreaks. To...

Incidence of respiratory tract sarcoidosis in southern and northern regions of Ukraine

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Gumenyuk G.L.

2014-06-01

Full Text Available We conducted a comparative survey of incidence and prevalence of pulmonary sarcoidosis in Southern (Crimean AR and Northern (Zhytomyr region regions of Ukraine by means of analysis of self-referred cases and cases, revealed at prophylactic radiological examination in 2011. The incidence of sarcoidosis in Crimea was 1.08 per 100 000 adult inhabitants; the prevalence was 4,59 per 100 000. In Zhytomyr region the incidence value (2,62 per 100 000 exceeded an equivalent value in Crimea by 2,4 times. The prevalence (7,86 per 100 000 was also higher than in Crimea by 1,7 times. Taking into account a significant impact of climate factor on sarcoidosis epidemiology, the incidence and prevalence of disease in Northern and Southern regions should be considered polar as for the regions of Ukraine. This makes it possoble to conclude that mean incidence of sarcoidosis in Ukraine ranges from 1,1 to 2,6 per 100 000 adult population, whereas the prevalence – from 4,6 to 7,9 per 100 000, which is equivalent to the level of Southern European countries.

Developing the mechatronics and robotics at Nizhny Tagil Technological Institute of Ural Federal University

Science.gov (United States)

Goman, V. V.; Fedoreev, S. A.

2018-02-01

This report concerns the development trends of education in the field of the Mechatronics and Robotics at Nizhny Tagil Technological Institute (branch of Ural Federal University). The paper considers new teaching technologies, experience in upgrade of the laboratory facilities and some results of development Mechatronics and Robotics educational courses.

REGIONAL FEATURES OF SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX OF REGION IN CONDITIONS OF INSTABILITY

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J.G. Lavrikova

2009-09-01

Full Text Available In clause the methodical approach to typology of spatial development of economy of the regions, considering position of region in national geoeconomic space, orientation to the global markets and character of interactions (network or integrated managing subjects in region is considered. Regional features of spatial development of regions of the Ural federal district are allocated. Directions of perfection of a level of the organization of spatial development of economy of regions in conditions of instability from positions of theories of unbalanced growth are offered.

Estimating Forest Carbon Stock in Alpine and Arctic Ecotones of the Urals

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V. A. Usoltsev

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on measured carbon stocks in the forests of two tree line ecotones of the Ural region where climate change might improve growing conditions. The first is an alpine ecotone that is represented by an altitudinal gradient of the spruce-dominated forests on the Western slope of the Tylaiskii Kamen Mountain (Western part of the Konzhakovskii-Tylaiskii-Serebryanskii Mountain system, 59°30′N, 59°00′E, at the alpine timber line that has risen from 864 to 960 m above sea level in the course of the last 100 years. The second is an arctic ecotone in larch-dominated forests at the lower course of the Pur river (67°N, 78°E, at the transition zone between closed floodplain forests and open or island-like communities of upland forests on tundra permafrost. According to our results, there are large differences in the carbon of the aboveground biomass of both ecotones across environmental gradients. In the alpine tree line ecotone, a 19-fold drop of the carbon stocks was detected between the lower and higher altitudinal levels. In the arctic ecotone the aboveground biomass carbon stock of forests of similar densities (1300 to 1700 trees per ha was 7 times as much in the river flood bed, and 5 times as much in mature, dense forests as the low density forests at higher elevations. Twelve regression equations describing dependencies of the aboveground tree biomass (stems, branches, foliage, total aboveground part upon stem diameter of the tree are proposed, which can be used to estimating the biological productivity (carbon of spruce and larch forests on Tylaiskii Kamen Mountain and the lower Pur river and on surrounding areas on the base of traditional forest mensuration have been proposed. In order to reduce the labor intensity of a coming determination of forest biomass the average values of density and dry matter content in the biomass fractions are given that were obtained by taking our sample trees.The results can be useful in

Wind energy resource atlas. Volume 8. The southern Rocky Mountain region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersen, S.R.; Freeman, D.L.; Hadley, D.L.; Elliott, D.L.; Barchet, W.R.; George, R.L.

1981-03-01

The Southern Rocky Mountain atlas assimilates five collections of wind resource data: one for the region and one for each of the four states that compose the Southern Rocky Mountain region (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah). At the state level, features of the climate, topography and wind resource are discussed in greater detail than is provided in the regional discussion, and the data locations on which the assessment is based are mapped. Variations, over several time scales, in the wind resource at selected stations in each state are shown on graphs of monthly average and interannual wind speed and power, and hourly average wind speed for each season. Other graphs present speed, direction, and duration frequencies of the wind at these locations.

Eastern Traditions and Innovations in Sarmatian Monuments of Second Half of the 2nd – 4th cc. AD

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Mikhail V. Krivosheev

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The appearance of the monuments of the late Sarmatian culture has been recorded since the middle of the 2nd century AD on a vast territory from the Southern Urals to the Lower Don. The new culture is characterized by its own characteristics that distinguish it from the previous culture. This is the northern orientation of the buried, narrow pits and graves, artificial deformation of skulls, square censers, long stalks, mirrors with a central loop, stone tops and staples of swords. In different regions the formation of culture is characterized by specific features. In the Southern Urals, the late Sarmatian culture is represented in the purest form. In the Lower Volga region, a complex is formed, in which the signs of both late Sarmatian and Middle Sarmatian cultures are combined. This is due to the large number of the previous population which remained here. In the Lower Don region, there is a rapid change of cultures. The given article attempts to determine the area of distribution of elements of the late Sarmatian culture and the degree of their influence in different regions. The analysis shows that as for second half of the 2nd –first half of the 3rd century AD, we can talk about a unified late Sarmatian culture from the Trans-Ural to the Lower Don. Some features of the late Sarmatian culture are revealed in the Northern Black Sea region, but they are disjointed and not dominant. This does not allow to include the Northern Black Sea Coast in the area of distribution of the late Sarmatian culture. Finds of eastern origin in the late Sarmatian monuments indicate the absence of stable trade and economicties with the territories of Middle and Central Asia. The occurrence of such things was of an accidental nature, and they were distributed together with their owners. At present, there is no reason to talk about the possible functioning of the northern branch of the Silk Road through the steppes of the Ural-Don region in the late Sarmatian

Measurement of radioactive nuclides in the `Mayak` region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myasoedov, B F [V.I. Vernadsky Inst. of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Novikov, A P [V.I. Vernadsky Inst. of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation)

1997-03-01

The study of environmental contamination caused by anthropogenic impact and, primarily, by radioactive nuclides is one of the main scientific problems facing contemporary science. Radioecological monitoring, decision making on remediation of polluted areas need detailed information about distribution of radioactive nuclides in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, knowledge about radioactive nuclide occurrence forms and migration patterns. Experimental tests of nuclear and thermonuclear weapon in atmosphere and underground, nuclear power engineering and numerous accidents that took place at the nuclear power plants (NPP), unauthorized dump of radioactive materials in various places of the ocean and pouring off the strongly dump of radioactive wastes from ships and submarine equipped with nuclear power engines made artificial radionuclides a constant and unretrievable component of the modern biosphere, becoming an additional unfavorable ecological factor. As regards Former Sovient Union (FSU) the most unfavorable regions are Southern Ural, zones suffered from Chernobyl Accident, Altay, Novaya Zemlya, some part of West Siberia near Seversk (Tomsk-7) and Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk-26). (orig.)

Measurement of radioactive nuclides in the 'Mayak' region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myasoedov, B.F.; Novikov, A.P.

1997-01-01

The study of environmental contamination caused by anthropogenic impact and, primarily, by radioactive nuclides is one of the main scientific problems facing contemporary science. Radioecological monitoring, decision making on remediation of polluted areas need detailed information about distribution of radioactive nuclides in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, knowledge about radioactive nuclide occurrence forms and migration patterns. Experimental tests of nuclear and thermonuclear weapon in atmosphere and underground, nuclear power engineering and numerous accidents that took place at the nuclear power plants (NPP), unauthorized dump of radioactive materials in various places of the ocean and pouring off the strongly dump of radioactive wastes from ships and submarine equipped with nuclear power engines made artificial radionuclides a constant and unretrievable component of the modern biosphere, becoming an additional unfavorable ecological factor. As regards Former Sovient Union (FSU) the most unfavorable regions are Southern Ural, zones suffered from Chernobyl Accident, Altay, Novaya Zemlya, some part of West Siberia near Seversk (Tomsk-7) and Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk-26). (orig.)

Modeling of budgetary funding influence on socio-demographic processes of a region

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Aleksandra Vladimirovna Vasil'eva

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a method of modeling socio-demographic processes in a region based on the minimax approach. In this method, the simulated socio-demographic processes reflect the performance of a population fertility age model, reproductive systems and the structure of mortality, as management impact tools of fiscal spending on socially significant budget items (health, physical culture and sport, social policy, education, environmental protection are considered. Testing methodology on the examples of the Russian Federation subjects included in the Ural Federal District is presented. Peculiarities of influence of funding of each socially important item on the social and demographic processes in the regions of the Ural Federal District are shown. Priorities of distribution of funds based on the level of budgetary provision in the region to ensure optimization of socio-demographic development of the region are shaped.

Formation of personnel corps of engineers in the Urals: sociological aspect

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Boris Sergeevich Pavlov

2012-03-01

Full Text Available In terms of crisis economic development, one of priority goals for the technical institutes of higher education is to train engineers who are competitive on the regional labour markets. The main root of the problem of low prestige of the engineering profession in Russia, the slippage in the personnel training in technical universities lies in the depreciation of engineering work, and reduction of its social and economic attractiveness. The gap between science, education and industry leads to aging of engineering staff at the manufactures and to migration of the most talented engineers into other fields of activity. This paper analyzes current problems of engineers training organization in the Urals. The causes of sharp decline of the engineering profession social status in Russia, the fall of interest of secondary school graduates to continuation of their studies in technical institutes of higher education are reviewed. The authors show that the formation of engineering competence as a defining personal and vocational quality of a specialist involves actualization of the student's motivation, one's active and purposeful adaptation to the educational process, increasing one's responsibility for mastering the curriculum. Conclusions and suggestions of the authors are based on the results of a comprehensive sociological research conducted by them in 2011 in five high schools of the Urals (Yekaterinburg, Nizhnevartovsk and Chelyabinsk. The survey showed that during the stage of young specialists' preparation, cooperation in the «university - enterprise» system is actually shifted to the interaction, in fact, between institute of higher education and young professionals who act as the sellers of their labour. The authors believe that it makes sense to roll over (or rather - to stimulate the active engineering work of the most productive engineering professionals who have reached retirement age. Equally sharp and critical are the issues of

Regional changes in vertebra morphology during ontogeny reflect the life history of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.)

Science.gov (United States)

Fjelldal, Per G; Totland, Geir K; Hansen, Tom; Kryvi, Harald; Wang, Xiyuan; Søndergaard, Jens L; Grotmol, Sindre

2013-01-01

This study examined vertebra formation, morphology, regional characters, and bending properties of the vertebral column of Atlantic cod throughout its life cycle (0–6 years). The first structure to form was the foremost neural arch, 21 days post hatching (dph), and the first vertebra centrum to form – as a chordacentrum – was the 3rd centrum at 28 dph. Thereafter, the notochord centra developed in a regular sequence towards the head and caudal fin. All vertebrae were formed within 50 dph. The vertebral column consisted of 52 (± 2) vertebrae (V) and could be divided into four distinct regions: (i) the cervical region (neck) (V1 and V2), characterized by short vertebra centra, prominent neural spines and absence of articulations with ribs; (ii) the abdominal region (trunk) (V3–V19), characterized by vertebrae with wing-shaped transverse processes (parapophyses) that all articulate with a rib; (iii) the caudal region (tail) (V20–V40), where the vertebra centra have haemal arches with prominent haemal spines; (iv) the ural region (V41 to the last vertebra), characterized by broad neural and haemal spines, providing sites of origin for muscles inserting on the fin rays – lepidotrichs – of the tail fin. The number of vertebrae in the cervical, abdominal and caudal regions was found to be constant, whereas in the ural region, numbers varied from 12 to 15. Geometric modelling based on combination of vertebra lengths, diameters and intervertebral distances showed an even flexibility throughout the column, except in the ural region, where flexibility increased. Throughout ontogeny, the vertebra centra of the different regions followed distinct patterns of growth; the relative length of the vertebrae increased in the cervical and abdominal regions, and decreased in the caudal and ural regions with increasing age. This may reflect changes in swimming mode with age, and/or that the production of large volumes of gametes during sexual maturation requires a

Quantitative and Qualitative Composition of Diet of the Ural Owl, Strix Uralensi (Strigidae, Strigiformes, in the Central Part of European Russia (The Example of the Republic of Mordovia

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Andreychev A.

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The results of the study of the Ural Owl feeding spectrum are presented. In Russia the Ural owl eats over twenty species of mammals, thirty bird species and a number of animals of other classes. The research tasks included the identification of the species of the victims of a large owl in Mordovia, their quantitative data and the characteristics of osteological material from pellets. It was found out that mammals, in particular rodents, are the basis for the Ural owl food. The Ural Owl’s diet consists mainly of gray voles (47.7 %. On the second place there is a red vole (31.4 %. The share of mice is only 7.3 %. Th e predator hunts for the forest mouse most oft en. In pellets the mass fraction of bone remains varies in the range from 3.4 to 44.8 %. Th e average proportion of bone remains is, as a rule, up to 25 %, with the content of only one or two small rodents in pellets; the remains of three to six individuals - up to 45 % of the weight of dry pellet. Among all the bones of mammals, the lower jaws, femoral and tibia bones give the greatest information about the number and composition of victims of the Ural owl. In pellets the brachial and nameless bones of the victims are presented in smaller numbers.

Volunteer Administration Leadership Proficiency and Leadership Styles: Perceptions of Southern Region 4-H County Faculty

Science.gov (United States)

Stedman, Nicole L. P.; Rudd, Rick D.

2005-01-01

Volunteers play an integral role in supporting the mission of 4-H programs in the southern region. For this reason their proficiency in volunteer administration competence and perceived leadership style is important. The researchers sought to examine both the perceived proficiency of 4-H faculty in the southern region in seven competencies…

A Heavy Metal Atmospheric Deposition Study in the South Ural Mountains

CERN Document Server

Frontasyeva, M V; Steinnes, E; Lyapunov, S M; Cherchintsev, V D

2002-01-01

Samples of the mosses Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi, collected in the summer of 1998, were used to study the atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and other toxic elements in the Chelyabinsk Region situated in the South Ural, one of the most heavily polluted industrial areas of the Russian Federation. Samples of natural soils were collected simultaneously with moss at the same 30 sites in order to investigate surface accumulation of heavy metals and to examine the correlation of elements in moss and soil samples in order to separate contributions from atmospheric deposition and from soil minerals. A total of 38 elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Th, U) in soil and 33 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Ag, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Sm, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Th, U) in mosses were determined by epithermal neutron activation analysis. The elem...

Correlation of Early Devonian (Lochkovian-early Pragian) conodont faunas of the South Urals (Russia)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mavrinskaya, T.; Slavík, Ladislav

2013-01-01

Roč. 88, č. 3 (2013), s. 283-296 ISSN 1214-1119 Grant - others:Rada Programu interní podpory projektů mezinárodní spolupráce AV ČR(CZ) M100131201 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : South Urals, West Zilair Zone, Lower Devonian, global conodont correlation, Lochkovian, Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 1.495, year: 2013

Collapse above the world's largest potash mine (Ural, Russia.

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Andrejchuk Vjacheslav

2002-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the results of the study of a huge collapse that occurred in June 1986 within the area of the 3rd Berezniki potash mine (the Verkhnekamsky potash deposit, Ural. Processes that took place between the first appearance of a water inflow through the mine roof and the eventual collapse are reconstructed in detail. The origin and development of a cavity that induced the collapse are revealed. Two factors played a major role in the formation of the collapse: the presence of a tectonic fold/rupture zone with in both the salt sequence and the overburden (the zone of crush and enhanced permeability, and the ductile pillars mining system.

Great tit and pied flycatcher populations on the territory of radioactive trail in the eastern Urals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedeva, N.V.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate the prospects for using populations of the great tit (Parus major) and the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) in ecological monitoring of territories contaminated with radionuclides. Studies were performed in the summer of 1992 in birch forests of the Southern Urals. Artificial nesting sites (log houses) located 1.5 m above the ground were distributed over territories of two test plots: 30 log houses on the contaminated plot and 60 on the control plot (contamination with Sr-90 1.5 and 2 · 10 -3 mCi/m 2 , respectively). The nesting success in the great tit was similar on both plots, whereas that in the pied flycatcher was significantly greater on the control plot (in a open-quotes cleanclose quotes forest). Pied flycatchers build their nests out of highly radioactive materials, whereas great tits use nonradioactive or weakly emitting materials. Hence, pied flycatcher's nestlings receive a significant radiation dose from components of the nest: From the moment of egg laying, this dose amounts to 0.5 rem. The pied flycatcher can be used as an indicator of radioactive contamination. This species is more sensitive than the great tit, which has been successfully used as an indicator for monitoring the industrial air pollution

Africa burning: A thematic analysis of the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000)

Science.gov (United States)

Swap, Robert J.; Annegarn, Harold J.; Suttles, J. Timothy; King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Privette, Jeffrey L.; Scholes, Robert J.

2003-07-01

The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) was a major surface, airborne, and spaceborne field campaign carried out in southern Africa in 2000 and 2001 that addressed a broad range of phenomena related to land-atmosphere interactions and the biogeochemical functioning of the southern African system. This paper presents a thematic analysis and integration of the Journal of Geophysical Research SAFARI 2000 Special Issue, presenting key findings of an intensive field campaign over southern Africa in August and September of 2000. The integrating themes deal with surface emissions characterization; airborne characterizations of aerosols and trace gases; regional haze and trace gas characterization; and radiant measurements by surface, aircraft, and remote sensing platforms. Enhanced regional fuel loads associated with the moist La Niña phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle produced above average biomass burning emissions, which consequently dominated all other aerosol and trace gas emissions during the dry season. Southward transport of a broad plume of smoke originating in equatorial Africa and exiting off the east coast toward the Indian Ocean (the river of smoke) is attributed to unusual synoptic airflows associated the ENSO phase. New and revised biogenic and pyrogenic emission factors are reported, including a number of previously unreported oxygenated organic compounds and inorganic compounds from biomass combustion. Emission factors are scaled up to regional emission surfaces for biogenic species utilizing species specific and light-dependent emission factors. Fire scar estimates reveal contradictory information on the timing of the peak and extent of the biomass-burning season. Integrated tall stack coordinated measurements (between ground, airborne and remotely sensing platforms) of upwelling and downwelling radiation in massive thick aerosol layers covering much of southern Africa yield consistent estimates of large

Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000): wet season campaigns

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Otter, LB

2002-03-01

Full Text Available The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) involved two wet season and one dry season field campaigns. This paper reports on the wet season campaigns. The first was conducted at five sites along the Kalahari Transect in Zambia...

Oceans around Southern Africa and regional effects of global change

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Lutjeharms, JRE

2001-03-01

Full Text Available In the last few decades, a great deal of work has been carried out on the nature of the oceanic circulation around southern Africa. Attempts have been made to determine regional ocean-atmosphere interactions and the effect of changing sea...

Evaluating the Competitiveness of the Northern and Southern Macro-Regions of Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Aquilino

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This study uses the Crouch and Ritchie (1999 model of competitiveness to investigate/measure the competitiveness of northern and southern Italian macro-regions. Researching competitive advantages along with identifying strengths/weaknesses represent the objectives of this study. 156 responses were analysed, and findings show that northern regions tend to be more competitive than southern regions. While naturally endowed and created resources represent strengths in both regions, the competitiveness of all the determinant factors included in the tourism development, planning and policy of both tourist destinations are found to be quite inadequate. Moreover, the findings revealed that these mature destinations are experiencing the effects unleashed by a number of trends such as the development of new forms of tourism, the increasing number of tourist arrivals, the growth of the global economy and the sophistication of tourists’ tastes, representing both opportunities and threats that Italian destinations need to consider when planning/developing new strategies.

Haplotype Diversity and Reconstruction of Ancestral Haplotype Associated with the c.35delG Mutation in the GJB2 (Cx26) Gene among the Volgo-Ural Populations of Russia.

Science.gov (United States)

Dzhemileva, L U; Posukh, O L; Barashkov, N A; Fedorova, S A; Teryutin, F M; Akhmetova, V L; Khidiyatova, I M; Khusainova, R I; Lobov, S L; Khusnutdinova, E K

2011-07-01

The mutations in theGJB2(Сх26) gene make the biggest contribution to hereditary hearing loss. The spectrum and prevalence of theGJB2gene mutations are specific to populations of different ethnic origins. For severalGJB2 mutations, their origin from appropriate ancestral founder chromosome was shown, approximate estimations of "age" obtained, and presumable regions of their origin outlined. This work presents the results of the carrier frequencies' analysis of the major (for European countries) mutation c.35delG (GJB2gene) among 2,308 healthy individuals from 18 Eurasian populations of different ethnic origins: Bashkirs, Tatars, Chuvashs, Udmurts, Komi-Permyaks, Mordvins, and Russians (the Volga-Ural region of Russia); Byelorussians, Ukrainians (Eastern Europe); Abkhazians, Avars, Cherkessians, and Ingushes (Caucasus); Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Uighurs (Central Asia); and Yakuts, and Altaians (Siberia). The prevalence of the c.35delG mutation in the studied ethnic groups may act as additional evidence for a prospective role of the founder effect in the origin and distribution of this mutation in various populations worldwide. The haplotype analysis of chromosomes with the c.35delG mutation in patients with nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing loss (N=112) and in population samples (N =358) permitted the reconstruction of an ancestral haplotype with this mutation, established the common origin of the majority of the studied mutant chromosomes, and provided the estimated time of the c.35delG mutation carriers expansion (11,800 years) on the territory of the Volga-Ural region.

Biomonitoring air pollution in Chelyabinsk region (Ural mountains, Russia) through trace-elements and radionuclides: Temporal and spatial trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherchintsev, V.D.; Frontasyeva, M.V.; Lyapunov, S.M.; Smirnov, L.I.

1999-01-01

This report contains the first results on the analysis of the moss species Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi which were used to study heavy metal atmospheric deposition in the vicinity of Magnitogorsk, the center of the iron steel industry of Russia. Moss samples were collected along Bannoe Lake, located 30 km north-west of Magnitogorsk, and were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis using epithernal neutrons (ENAA) at the IBR-2 pulsed fast reactor in Dubna, and by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) at the Geological Institute of RAS, Moscow. Results for a total of 38 elements were obtained, including Pb, Cd, and Cu determined by AAS. The element concentrations in moss samples from this area were compared with those available for the so-called 'Black Triangle' (the territory bordering Poland, Czechia and Slovakia), obtained by the same moss biomonitoring technique. The level of the concentrations of Fe, Cr, and V in the vicinity of Magnitogorsk was found to be 2-2.5 times higher than that of the mean values determined for the 'Black Triangle'; the level of Ni and Cd is of the same order as in the most polluted area of Europe. The concentrations of Zn and Cu tend to be higher in the 'Black Triangle'. The level of As is about 3 times higher in the Urals, whereas concentration of Pb is higher in Europe by a factor of 5. It appeared that concentration of Sb in the examined area has the highest ever published for levels in mosses from atmospheric deposition. The scanning electron microscope adjacent to the XRF analyzer (SEM-XRF) was used to examine the surface of the moss samples. Photographs of identified iron spherulas along with other aerosol particles were made at magnification of 3,500 to 5,000 times. Information on fieldwork in the northern part of the Chelyabinsk region in July, 1998 is reported. (author)

Animal evolution and atmospheric pO2: is there a link between gradual animal adaptation to terrain elevation due to Ural orogeny and survival of subsequent hypoxic periods?

Science.gov (United States)

Kurbel, Sven

2014-10-22

Considering evolution of terrestrial animals as something happening only on flat continental plains seems wrong. Many mountains have arisen and disappeared over the geologic time scale, so in all periods some areas of high altitude existed, with reduced oxygen pressure (pO2) and increased aridity. During orogeny, animal species of the raising terrain can slowly adapt to reduced oxygen levels.This review proposes that animal evolution was often driven by atmospheric oxygen availability. Transitions of insect ancestors and amphibians out of water are here interpreted as events forced by the lack of oxygen in shallow and warm water during Devonian. Hyperoxia during early Carboniferous allowed giant insects to be predators of lowlands, forcing small amphibians to move to higher terrains, unsuitable to large insects due to reduced pO2. In arid mountainous habitats, ascended animals evolved in early reptiles with more efficient lungs and improved circulation. Animals with alveolar lungs became the mammalian ancestors, while those with respiratory duct lungs developed in archosaurs. In this interpretation, limb precursors of wings and pneumatised bones might have been adaptations for moving on steep slopes.Ural mountains have risen to an estimated height of 3000 m between 318 and 251 Mya. The earliest archosaurs have been found on the European Ural side, estimated 275 Myr old. It is proposed that Ural orogeny slowly elevated several highland habitats within the modern Ural region to heights above 2500 m. Since this process took near 60 Myr, animals in these habitats fully to adapted to hypoxia.The protracted P-Tr hypoxic extinction event killed many aquatic and terrestrial animals. Devastated lowland areas were repopulated by mammaliaformes that came down from mountainous areas. Archosaurs were better adapted to very low pO2, so they were forced to descend to the sea level later when the lack of oxygen became severe. During the Triassic period, when the relative content

Heavy metal atmospheric deposition study in the South Ural Mountains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frontasyeva, M.V.; Smirnov, L.I.; Lyapunov, S.M.

2004-01-01

Samples of the mosses Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi, collected in the summer of 1998, were used to study the atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and other toxic elements in the Chelyabinsk Region situated in the South Urals, one of the most heavily polluted industrial areas of the Russian Federation. Samples of natural soils were collected simultaneously with moss at the same 30 sites in order to investigate surface accumulation of heavy metals and to examine the correlation of elements in moss and soil samples in order to separate contributions from atmospheric deposition and from soil minerals. A total of 38 elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Th, U) in soil and 33 elements Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Ag, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Sm, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Th, U) were determined by epithermal neutron activation analysis. The elements Cu, Cd and Pb (in moss samples only) were obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry. VARIMAX rotated principal component analysis was used to identify and characterize different pollution sources and to point out the most polluted areas. (author)

Radon and Lung Cancer Case-Control Study in Middle Ural

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirdin, I.A.; Lezhnin, V.L.; Yarmoshenko, I.V.; Ekidin, A.

2001-01-01

Full text: The pilot phase of radon and lung cancer case-control study has been performed in Karpinsk and Pervouralsk towns of Middle Ural region of Russia. The case group consists of 341 persons with lung cancer and living in that towns at least five previous years. The lung cancer diagnoses were carefully verified by instrumental techniques and 70% of its were morphologically validated. The persons for the control group (448) were chosen from the population living in that towns at least five years taking into account the age and sex. The special epidemiological questionnaire was developed which includes the items by the groups of factors as follow: clinical data, social factors, chronic lung diseases, life habit, tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, diet preference etc. The epidemiological questionnaires were fulfilled for each member of case and control groups. Radon gas concentration and thoron equilibrium equivalent concentration measurements had been performed using nuclear track detectors and grab sampling accordingly in the dwellings of case and control groups members. By preliminary estimation the odds ratios are 1, 0.91, 1.2, 1.1 in the ranges of radon and thoron equilibrium equivalent concentration 0-6, 3-13, 13-36 and 36-370 Bq/m 3 respectively. The deeper and more rigorous analysis as well as different independent approaches will be discussed in the paper.(author)

Model testing of radioactive contamination by {sup 90}Sr, {sup 137}Cs and {sup 239,240}Pu of water and bottom sediments in the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kryshev, I.I. [Scientific and Production Association ' Typhoon' , 82 Lenin Ave., Obninsk, Kaluga Region, 249038 (Russian Federation)], E-mail: ecomod@obninsk.com; Boyer, P.; Monte, L.; Brittain, J.E.; Dzyuba, N.N.; Krylov, A.L.; Kryshev, A.I.; Nosov, A.V.; Sanina, K.D.; Zheleznyak, M.I. [Scientific and Production Association ' Typhoon' , 82 Lenin Ave., Obninsk, Kaluga Region, 249038 (Russian Federation)

2009-03-15

This paper presents results of testing models for the radioactive contamination of river water and bottom sediments by {sup 90}Sr, {sup 137}Cs and {sup 239,240}Pu. The scenario for the model testing was based on data from the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia), which was contaminated as a result of discharges of liquid radioactive waste into the river. The endpoints of the scenario were model predictions of the activity concentrations of {sup 90}Sr, {sup 137}Cs and {sup 239,240}Pu in water and bottom sediments along the Techa River in 1996. Calculations for the Techa scenario were performed by six participant teams from France (model CASTEAUR), Italy (model MARTE), Russia (models TRANSFER-2, CASSANDRA, GIDRO-W) and Ukraine (model RIVTOX), all using different models. As a whole, the radionuclide predictions for {sup 90}Sr in water for all considered models, {sup 137}Cs for MARTE and TRANSFER-2, and {sup 239,240}Pu for TRANSFER-2 and CASSANDRA can be considered sufficiently reliable, whereas the prediction for sediments should be considered cautiously. At the same time the CASTEAUR and RIVTOX models estimate the activity concentrations of {sup 137}Cs and {sup 239,240}Pu in water more reliably than in bottom sediments. The models MARTE ({sup 239,240}Pu) and CASSANDRA ({sup 137}Cs) evaluated the activity concentrations of radionuclides in sediments with about the same agreement with observations as for water. For {sup 90}Sr and {sup 137}Cs the agreement between empirical data and model predictions was good, but not for all the observations of {sup 239,240}Pu in the river water-bottom sediment system. The modelling of {sup 239,240}Pu distribution proved difficult because, in contrast to {sup 137}Cs and {sup 90}Sr, most of models have not been previously tested or validated for plutonium.

Challenges of transfrontier conservation areas: Natural resources nationalism, security and regionalism in the southern African development community region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oswell Rusinga

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs initiatives in the Southern African Development Community (SADC region offer hope for providing a mechanism for resolving political tensions and conflicts which are not only related to environmental issues but to security concerns as well. The geopolitical implications of TFCAs in the SADC region cannot be overemphasised with regard to international relations and regional integration. The SADS region is characterised by histories of contested military balance of power and geopolitical rivalries which have a potential to degenerate into military confrontation. Although there is a strong belief in multilateral co-operation among SADC member countries, most of them often engage the international community at the bilateral level. Moreover, there is disharmony in constitutional applications of the rule of law, respect of human rights and good governance. However, TFCAs initiatives in Southern Africa have been seen as offering an opportunity to heal the wounds of pre- and post-independence wars of destabilisation through the encouragement of inter-state collaboration and co-operation by giving governments an opportunity for mutual action on issues of common interest.

The wind forecasting improvement project. Description and results from the Southern study region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freedman, Jeffrey [AWS Truepower LLC, Albany, NY (United States); Benjamin, Stan; Wilczak, James [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC and Boulder, CO (United States)] [and others

2012-07-01

The Wind Forecasting Improvement Project (WFIP) is a multi-year U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsored study whose main purpose is to demonstrate the scientific and economic benefits of additional atmospheric observations and model enhancements on wind energy production forecasts. WFIP covers two geographical regions of the U.S.: (1) the upper Great Plains, or Northern Study Area, and (2) most of Texas-the Southern Study Area. The Southern campaign is being led by AWS Truepower LLC, and includes a team of private, government, and academic partners with collective experience and expertise in all facets required to ensure a successful completion of the project. In addition presenting a summary of the state-of-the-art forecasting techniques used and phenomena-based analysis mentioned above, a brief synopsis of how ''lessons learned'' from the WFIP Southern Study Area can be articulated and applied to other wind resource regions will be described. (orig.)

Scientific collaboration in the Danish-German border region of Southern Jutland-Schleswig

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Makkonen, Teemu

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the geographical and organizational patterns of scientific collaboration, in terms of co-authored scientific articles, in the Danish-German border region of Southern Jutland-Schleswig. The motivation behind the approach lies in the fact that scientific collaboration...... of co-authored publications and, thus, the knowledge infrastructure of the border region can be considered as weakly integrated....

Litterfall production under pine plantations in the southern Andes region of Ecuador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Quichimbo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Litterfall research is an interesting aspect in environmental studies due to its significance in nutrient cycling specially in regions like the Andes where the interactions between biomass production and its decomposition is poorly understood. This study is focusing in the litterfall biomass production under pine plantations in southern Ecuador. The litterfall production was studied for five months at two-week intervals in three pine forest sites located in the southern Andes region of Ecuador. Monthly litterfall production ranged between 1067-1907 kg ha-1, in comparison with other coniferous stands around the world, this study revealed a higher litterfall production for tropical areas and particularly the highest production under pine plantations in the Andes region. This high litterfall production highlights the upmost importance of this forest component as a potential nutrient reservoir involved in the global nutrient cycling under landscapes dominated by this exotic forest specie in the tropical Andes.

Geochemical Indicators of the Carbonate Sedimentation Depositional Environments and Geodynamic Conditions in the East of the Middle Urals in the Kizelovian Time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Dub

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Geochemical characteristics of the limestones of Kizelovskian substage of the Eastern Urals zone (Rezh River, Middle Urals, such as carbon and oxygen isotopic composition, concentration of minor and trace elements, and redox value indicators, were studied in details. Based on the results of data interpretation and analysis of lithological features, it was assumed that carbonate deposits formed in shallow oxygen-rich environment with high bioproductivity warm water ecosystem, and within the isolated carbonate platform with a steady sinking territory. Some signs indicate that sedimentation during the Kizelovian time occurred in the inner lagoon of a large atoll. The Maldivian archipelago could be a contemporary analogue of the Rezhevskaya carbonate platform.

Political parties in the Sverdlovsk region: stages of development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mukhametov Ruslan Salikhovich

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the processes of party building in the Russian Federation. On the example of a single region – the Sverdlovsk region – we study the evolution of political parties. The factors favoring the process of formation and functioning of regional political parties and political movements in the Middle Urals are identified and classified. Much attention is paid to such factors of development of the parties in the region as a party-electoral law and the electoral system view.

The Southern H ii Region Discovery Survey (SHRDS): Pilot Survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, C.; Dickey, John M. [School of Physical Sciences, Private Bag 37, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001 (Australia); Jordan, C. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6845 (Australia); Anderson, L. D.; Armentrout, W. P. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506 (United States); Balser, Dana S.; Wenger, Trey V. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Bania, T. M. [Institute for Astrophysical Research, Department of Astronomy, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Dawson, J. R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy and MQ Research Centre in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astrophotonics, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109 (Australia); Mc Clure-Griffiths, N. M. [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2611 (Australia)

2017-07-01

The Southern H ii Region Discovery Survey is a survey of the third and fourth quadrants of the Galactic plane that will detect radio recombination line (RRL) and continuum emission at cm-wavelengths from several hundred H ii region candidates using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The targets for this survey come from the WISE Catalog of Galactic H ii Regions and were identified based on mid-infrared and radio continuum emission. In this pilot project, two different configurations of the Compact Array Broad Band receiver and spectrometer system were used for short test observations. The pilot surveys detected RRL emission from 36 of 53 H ii region candidates, as well as seven known H ii regions that were included for calibration. These 36 recombination line detections confirm that the candidates are true H ii regions and allow us to estimate their distances.

The Southern H ii Region Discovery Survey (SHRDS): Pilot Survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, C.; Dickey, John M.; Jordan, C.; Anderson, L. D.; Armentrout, W. P.; Balser, Dana S.; Wenger, Trey V.; Bania, T. M.; Dawson, J. R.; Mc Clure-Griffiths, N. M.

2017-01-01

The Southern H ii Region Discovery Survey is a survey of the third and fourth quadrants of the Galactic plane that will detect radio recombination line (RRL) and continuum emission at cm-wavelengths from several hundred H ii region candidates using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The targets for this survey come from the WISE Catalog of Galactic H ii Regions and were identified based on mid-infrared and radio continuum emission. In this pilot project, two different configurations of the Compact Array Broad Band receiver and spectrometer system were used for short test observations. The pilot surveys detected RRL emission from 36 of 53 H ii region candidates, as well as seven known H ii regions that were included for calibration. These 36 recombination line detections confirm that the candidates are true H ii regions and allow us to estimate their distances.

The Fifth International Ural seminar. Radiation damage physics of metals and alloys. Abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

Presented are the abstracts of The Fifth International Ural seminar Damage physics of metals and alloys. General problems of radiation damage physics, radiation effect on change of microstucture and the properties of metals and alloys, as well as materials for nuclear and thermonuclear energetics are considered. The themes of reports are the following: correlation effects in cascades of atom-atomic collisions; radiation-induced strengthening critical current density in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x superconductors; conditions of forming and hydrides growth in irradiated zirconium alloys [ru

Occurrence modes of As, Sb, Te, Bi, Ag in sulfide assemblages of gold deposits of the Urals

Science.gov (United States)

Vikent'eva, O.; Vikentev, I.

2016-04-01

Review of occurrence modes of trace toxic elements ("potential pollutants") in ores from large gold deposits (the Urals) of different genetic types is presented. Mineral forms of these elements as well as their presence in main minerals from gold-bearing sulfide assemblages according to SEM, EPMA, INAA, ICP-MS and LA-ICP-MS are demonstrated.

Analysis of the quality of diagnosis and treatment of primary headache in different social groups of the Ural Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. R. Lebedeva

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: to analyze the quality of diagnosis and treatment of primary headache (HA in different social groups of the Ural Region. Patients and methods. The study enrolled 3124 persons who were divided into three groups: 1 1042 students; of them there were 719 women; mean age 20.6 years; range 17–40 years; 2 1075 workers; of them there were 146 women; mean age 40.4 years; range 21–67 years; 3 1007 blood donors; of them there were 484 women; mean age, 34.1 years; range 18–64 years. Semi-structured interviews involving the characteristics of HA and its prior diagnosis and treatment were conducted face-to-face in all those included in the study. HA was diagnosed using the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition, beta version. Results and discussion. The following factors decreasing the quality of diagnosis and treatment of HA were identified in all the study groups: 1 low physician visit rates. Despite the high prevalence of all types of primary HA in 3 groups (67%, only 496 (23% out of 2110 participants with HA visited their physician with this problem. Among the patients with HA, physicians were visited most often by 342 (35% out of 968 students, least often by 60 (13% out of 457 workers and by 94 (14% out of 685 donors; 2 inadequate diagnosis of HA. Only 12 and 11.7% of the patients were correctly diagnosed with migraine and tension HA (THA, respectively; 3 the practically complete absence of preventive treatment for HA. The majority of patients used drugs to arrest HA attacks; preventive treatment for migraine was performed in 2 (0.4% and not performed in any of the patients with THA. It is necessary to improve the diagnosis and treatment of primary HA and to elaborate new Russian clinical guidelines for patient management on the basis of international standards. 

The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000). Dry-Season Campaign: An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Swap, R. J.; Annegarn, H. J.; Suttles, J. T.; Haywood, J.; Hely, C.; Hobbs, P. V.; Holben, B. N.; Ji, J.; King, M. D.; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) is an international science project investigating the southern African earth-atmosphere-human system. The experiment was conducted over a two-year period March 1999 - March 2001. The dry season field campaign (August-Steptember 2000) was the most intensive activity and involving over 200 scientists from 18 different nations. The main objectives of this campaign were to characterize and quantify the biogenic, pyrogenic and anthropogenic aerosol and trace gas emissions and their transport and transformations in the atmosphere and to validate the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite Terra within a scientific context. Five aircraft, namely two South African Weather Service aircraft, University of Washington CV-580, the UK Meteorological Office C-130 and the NASA ER-2, with different altitude capabilities, participated in the campaign. Additional airborne sampling of southern African air masses that had moved downwind of the subcontinent was conducted by the CSIRO over Australia. Multiple observations were taken in various sectors for a variety of synoptic conditions. Flight missions were designed to maximize synchronous over-flights of the NASA TERRA satellite platform, above regional ground validation and science targets. Numerous smaller-scale ground validation activities took place throughout the region during the campaign period.

Geological Structure and Gold Mineralization of Carbonaceous Deposits of the Tyotechnaya Mountain (South Urals)

OpenAIRE

A. V. Snachev; E. P. Shchulkin

2018-01-01

This paper considers the geological structure of the northern part of the East-Urals Trough. Particular attention is paid to the Kosobrodskaya Formation, where the carbonaceous deposits are most abundant. It was found that the gold in the black shales of the Tyotechnaya Mountain is associated with the intensively dislocated, silicified and sulfidised rocks struck with the diorite porphyry of the Birgildin-Tomino Complex. Channel sampling on the number of wells showed the gold grades up to 1.5...

CO J=2-1 observations toward southern HII regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.N.; Ruf, K.; Wilson, T.L.; Zimmermann, P.; Emerson, D.T.

1983-01-01

A spectral line receiver system developed at the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie in Bonn was installed on the ESO 3.6-m and 1-m telescopes in July 1981. The cooled mixer front end gave DSB receiver temperatures of 260-600 K at 230 GHz. The spectrometer was a 256 x 1 MHz filterbank. The authors have observed the CO 2-1 transition towards 42 positions corresponding to the brightest southern HII regions. (Auth.)

The agricultural sector of the Pechora-Ural North

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentin Aleksandrovich Ivanov

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The article reveals the rural sector’s role in food supply of the population of the Komi Republic arctic and subarctic territories (the Pechora-Ural North. It considers conditions, analyses resources, organizational-legal management forms in agricultural production. The study indicates the agriculture status in the pre-reform (1960–1980 and market upgrade periods (since 1992 and the reforms’ impact on socio-economic processes in the industry. The article investigates obstacles to the agricultural sector development. It proposes development directions of reindeer and cattle breeding. It recommends to accelerate the development and adoption of the law “On reindeer breeding in the Russian Federation”, a federal target program for the reindeer breeding development, and it also proposes to enhance interregional relations in the field of joint systems of pastures control. The research highlights the necessity to strengthen the material and technological base of the dual purpose cattle breeding, to increase financial support of traditional Northern branches

Fifth Anniversary youth scientifically-practical conference Nuclear-industrial complex of Ural: problems and prospects. Theses of reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

Theses of reports of the Fifth Anniversary youth scientifically-practical conference Nuclear-industrial complex of Ural: problems and prospects (21-23 April 2009, Ozersk) are presented. The book contains abstracts of papers of fourth thematic sections: SNF reprocessing: science and industry; Radioecology and radiobiology; Advanced science-intensive technologies and materials; Education and training for NFC plants

Stature and Its Estimation Utilizing Arm Span Measurements of both gender Adolescents from Southern Region in Kosovo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fitim Arifi

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This study is based on measurements of Southern region Kosovan adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the stature of adolescents from Southern region as well relationship between arm span and stature in both Kosovar genders. A total measured subject participated in this research was 225 out of which (105 girls and 120 boys, females average of age is 18.36±0.50 years old (range 18-20 years and for male 18.40±0.55 years old (range 18-20 years.The anthropometric measurements were done by trained people and were taken according to the ISAK manual. Relationship between stature and arm span has been analyzed by the simple correlation coeffi cient at a 95% confi dence interval. The linear regression analysis was carried out to examine extent to which arm span can reliably predict of stature. Statistical importance was placed at level p<0.05. As a result anthropometric measurements for both sexes showed that the average of stature for boys adolescents from Southern region are 178.60±5.73 centimeters and have the arm span average of 180.92±6.92 centimeters, while girls from Southern 165.33±4.45 centimeters tall, and have the arm span average of 165.60±6.03 centimeters. The results have shown that the arm span was estimated as a reliable indicator of stature assessment to the both genders adolescents from Southern region of Kosovo population. This study also confi rms the necessity for developing separate height models for each region in Kosovo.

Body Height and its Estimation Utilizing Arm Span Measurements in Male Adolescents from Southern Region in Montenegro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajko Milašinović

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the body height in Montenegrin male adolescents from southern region as well as the relationship between arm span as an alternative to estimating the body height, which would vary from region to region in Montenegro. Our investigation analyses 87 male adolescents from the southern region in Montenegro. The anthropometric measurements were taken according to the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK. Means and standard deviations regarding the anthropometric measurements were obtained. The relationships between body height and arm span were determined using simple correlation coefficients and their 95% confidence interval. Then a linear regression analysis was performed to examine the extent to which the arm span can reliably predict body height. The results displayed that male Southern-Montenegrins are 182.53±7.53 cm tall and have an arm span of 184.55±9.03 cm. Compared to other studies, the results of this study have shown that this gender made Southern- Montenegrins the tall population, taller than most of nation around the Europe. On the other hand, expectably, the arm span reliably predicts body height in this gender. However, the estimation equations which have been obtained in Southern-Montenegrins are, different alike in general population, since arm span was closer to body heights (2.03±1.50 cm, more than in general population. Hence, this study also confirms the necessity for developing separate height models for each region in Montenegro.

Measuring Job Satisfaction Patterns in Saudi ArabiaÕs Southern Regions Hospitals: Implications for Hospital Staff Retention

OpenAIRE

Alshahrani Bander Sayaf

2015-01-01

Saudi Arabia Southern Region hospitals have shortage of health professionals especially doctors. Retention of quality doctors and minimizing staff turnover has, therefore, become a major priority for hospitals. Job satisfaction is recognized as key factor influencing retention of doctors. In our paper special emphasis is put on doctors working is Southern Region hospitals of Saudi Arabia. By conducting correlation analysis we determine the most important factors conducive to job satisfaction....

Adolescents in southern regions of Italy adhere to the Mediterranean diet more than those in the northern regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Noale, Marianna; Nardi, Mariateresa; Limongi, Federica; Siviero, Paola; Caregaro, Lorenza; Crepaldi, Gaetano; Maggi, Stefania

2014-09-01

There is a large amount of literature regarding the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in the adult population; however, there is growing curiosity about the individuals who naturally adhere to those principles early in life. The "Evaluation of Dietary Habits in Adolescents," carried out by the National Research Council of Italy in 2009, is a survey that aimed to assess the dietary habits and lifestyles of Italian adolescents and their adherence to the Mediterranean diet. We hypothesized that there would be differences across regions, with a higher adherence in Southern Italy compared with Northern Italy based on geography. The survey was conducted in 3 different geographic locations in Italy and included a convenience sample of adolescents who attended either a middle or high school. The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning demographic data, lifestyle factors, and eating patterns, and scores were assigned according to adherence to the Mediterranean diet, as calculated using Trichopoulou's Mediterranean diet scale. The final sample included 565 adolescents, between 12 and 19 years old, who attended school in the northeastern, northwestern, or southern regions of Italy in 2009. According to the findings, 38.6% of the respondents had scores indicating a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet, whereas only 14% had scores showing a high adherence. Teenagers from the Southern region showed the highest adherence. Those with a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet consumed higher quantities of fiber, iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin D, and monounsaturated fats. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Features of phenacite mineralization from the Ural emerald mines

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M. P. Popov

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The authors consider the problems of development of phenacite mineralization at the Ural Emerald Mines, which is rather well developed and described in the Mariinsky (Malyshevsky and Sretensky (Sverdlovsk emerald-beryllium deposits. Phenacite is widespread in many beryllium deposits, but crystals of jewelry quality, with such large sizes as at the Emerald Mines, form rarely. Despite the prescription of the discovery (1833, and because of the rare occurrence of jewelry quality of crystals, and the presence of more expensive and valuable stones – emeralds and alexandrites – in deposits of the Emerald mines, phenacite remains almost unknown in the precious stones market, and especially abroad. Phenacite mineralization mostly occurs in the micaceous veins represented by gray and greenish-gray phlogopite. Distribution of phenacite in the micaceous veins is extremely uneven. Mineralization is typically nesting. High content of phenacite appears in the micaceous veins, mineral composition of which is mostly phlogopite, veins and concretions of beryllium-containing margarite (B-margarite and chlorite. Content of phenacite is low in the micaceous veins that include phlogopite, plagioclase, beryl, fluorite, smoky quartz. At the Sretensky deposit is located a vein that refers to a new type of ore bodies of the chrysoberyl-phenacite composition lying in ultrabasic rocks. Unlike emerald-bearing micaceous veins that have a northwestern spread, the chrysoberyl-phenacite ore bodies are oriented in the near-latitudinal direction and have a northern incidence at an angle of 75°–80°. The most common form of phenacite crystals on the Emerald Mines is rhombohedral and short columned. Crystals have a large number of faces. The usual shapes are a hexagonal prism and rhombohedrons. Twin crystals are common, druses, columnar aggregates, and spherulites are characteristic. Phenacite can be colorless or slightly colored in wine yellow, sometimes pinkish, light

Pliocene Warm Period Upwelling in the Southern Benguela Region

Science.gov (United States)

Petrick, B. F.; McClymont, E.; Felder, S.; Leng, M. J.; Rosell Mele, A.; Rueda, G.

2014-12-01

The mid-Pliocene has been proposed as a possible analogue for understanding future climate change and testing climate models. Previous work has shown that during the Pliocene the major upwelling systems were relatively warm, and thus either inactive, contracted, or upwelling warmer waters than present. Here we examine evidence from a core site located on the margins of the modern Benguela upwelling system, to test whether the upwelling cells had migrated or contracted relative to present during the Pliocene. We applied several organic geochemistry proxies and foraminiferal analyses to reconstruct the Pliocene history of ODP site 1087 (31º28'S, 15º19'E, 1374m water depth), including the UK37' index and TEX86 index (for reconstructing sea surface temperatures), chlorins (for estimating primary productivity) and planktonic foraminifera assemblages (for inferring water mass changes). These proxies show that between 3.5 and 3.0 Ma the southern Benguela region was significantly cooler than the northern Benguela region, the latter where the main upwelling cells are found today. Coupled with higher primary production, a shift in planktonic foraminifera assemblage, and an offset between the UK37' index and TEX86 index, we infer that more extensive upwelling was present in the southern Benguela region during the Pliocene. We infer that the main Benguela upwelling cells had shifted southward relative to today, as a result of changes in the local wind field. We find evidence for pronounced cooling and a shift in the planktonic foraminifera assemblage during the M2 and KM2 glacial stages, showing a sensitivity of Benguela upwelling to these short-lived climate events.

Treeline advances and associated shifts in the ground vegetation alter fine root dynamics and mycelia production in the South and Polar Urals.

Science.gov (United States)

Solly, Emily F; Djukic, Ika; Moiseev, Pavel A; Andreyashkina, Nelly I; Devi, Nadezhda M; Göransson, Hans; Mazepa, Valeriy S; Shiyatov, Stepan G; Trubina, Marina R; Schweingruber, Fritz H; Wilmking, Martin; Hagedorn, Frank

2017-02-01

Climate warming is shifting the elevational boundary between forests and tundra upwards, but the related belowground responses are poorly understood. In the pristine South and Polar Urals with shifts of the treeline ecotone documented by historical photographs, we investigated fine root dynamics and production of extramatrical mycorrhizal mycelia (EMM) along four elevational transects reaching from the closed forest to the treeless tundra. In addition, we analysed elevational differences in climate and vegetation structure, and excavated trees to estimate related changes in the partitioning between below- and aboveground biomass. Fine root biomass of trees (<2 mm) increased by 13-79% with elevation, paralleled by a 35-72% increase in ground vegetation fine roots from the closed forest to the tundra. During the first year of decomposition, mass loss of fine root litter from different vegetation types was greater at lower elevations in the forest-tundra ecotone. The ratio between fine roots of trees and stem biomass largely increased with elevation in both regions, but these increases were not accompanied by a distinct production of EMM. Production of EMM, however, increased with the presence of ectomycorrhizal trees at the transition from the tundra to the forest. Our results imply that the recorded upward expansion of forest into former tundra in the Ural Mountains by 4-8 m per decade is decreasing the partitioning of plant biomass to fine roots. They further suggest that climate-driven forest advances will alter EMM production rates with potential feedbacks on soil carbon and nutrient cycling in these ecosystems.

Phytomining Perspectives in Rehabilitation of Mining and Industrial Areas of South Ural

Science.gov (United States)

Timofeeva, S. S.; Ulrikh, D. V.; Timofeev, S. S.

2017-05-01

The ability of midland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata (Poir)), common barberry (Berberis vulgaris), red elder (Sambucus racemosa), cinnamon rose (Rosa cinnamomea L.), couch grass (Elytrigia repens), crested wheat grass (Agropyron cristatum), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) and meadow grass (Poa pratensis) for phytoextraction of heavy metals from technogenic soil is proved in the article. The possibility of effective phytoextraction with the use of hawthorn and elder is shown. Maximum accumulation of zinc takes place in the surface mass of couch grass and meadow fescue. In regard to the conditions of South Ural, planting of elder and hawthorn with seeding of couch grass and meadow fescue is recommended for phytomining purposes.

Regional health governance: A suggested agenda for Southern African health diplomacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Penfold, Erica Dale; Fourie, Pieter

2015-12-01

Regional organisations can effectively promote regional health diplomacy and governance through engagement with regional social policy. Regional bodies make decisions about health challenges in the region, for example, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the World Health Organisation South East Asia Regional Office (WHO-SEARO). The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has a limited health presence as a regional organisation and diplomatic partner in health governance. This article identifies how SADC facilitates and coordinates health policy, arguing that SADC has the potential to promote regional health diplomacy and governance through engagement with regional social policy. The article identifies the role of global health diplomacy and niche diplomacy in health governance. The role of SADC as a regional organisation and the way it functions is then explained, focusing on how SADC engages with health issues in the region. Recommendations are made as to how SADC can play a more decisive role as a regional organisation to implement South-South management of the regional social policy, health governance and health diplomacy agenda.

EXPLORATORY PLASMA BIOCHEMISTRY REFERENCE INTERVALS FOR URAL OWLS (STRIX URALENSIS, PALLAS 1771) FROM THE AUSTRIAN REINTRODUCTION PROJECT.

Science.gov (United States)

Scope, Alexandra; Schwendenwein, Ilse; Stanclova, Gabriela; Vobornik, Angela; Zink, Richard

2016-06-01

The Ural owl (Strix uralensis) is the biggest forest-living owl in Austria; however, it became extinct in Austria through poaching and habitat loss more than half a century ago. The birds examined in the present study were breeding pairs from the reintroduction project with the aim of determining exploratory plasma biochemistry reference intervals in Ural owls and evaluating the amount of biological variation between seasons, sexes, and ages. A total of 45 birds were sampled, including 13 adult males, 14 adult females, and 18 juvenile birds. Remarkably, almost all of the analytes showed significant differences between the subgroups, primarily between seasons, followed by age and sex. Only creatinkinase, glucose, lactatdehydrogenase, and triglycerides did not show any significant variations. Despite partitioning of reference values into subgroups according to biological variation diminishing the number of reference individuals in the respective groups, the resulting smaller reference intervals will improve medical assessment. The results of the present study once again demonstrate that significant seasonal fluctuations must be expected and considered in the interpretation. It can be assumed that these differences are probably even greater in free-range birds with considerable changes in food quantity and quality during and between years.

Regional efforts to promote forestry best management practices: a southern success story

Science.gov (United States)

Herb Nicholson; John Colberg; Hughes Simpson; Tom Gerow; Wib Owen

2016-01-01

The Southern Group of State Foresters has a long history of water resource protection efforts, providing leadership in BMP development, improvement, and implementation, enhancing state BMP programs, establishing effective partnerships, and standardizing an approach to consistently monitor implementation across the region.

Chemical safety of cassava products in regions adopting cassava production and processing - experience from Southern Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nyirenda, D.B.; Chiwona-Karltun, L.; Chitundu, M.

2011-01-01

and perceptions concerning cassava and chemical food safety. Chips, mixed biscuits and flour, procured from households and markets in three regions of Zambia (Luapula-North, Western and Southern) as well as products from the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Malawi, were analyzed for total cyanogenic...... of products commercially available on the market. Risk assessments disclose that effects harmful to the developing central nervous system (CNS) may be observed at a lower exposure than previously anticipated. We interviewed farmers in Zambia and Malawi about their cultivars, processing procedures......The cassava belt area in Southern Africa is experiencing an unforeseen surge in cassava production, processing and consumption. Little documentation exists on the effects of this surge on processing procedures, the prevailing levels of cyanogenic glucosides of products consumed and the levels...

Geological Structure and Gold Mineralization of Carbonaceous Deposits of the Tyotechnaya Mountain (South Urals

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A. V. Snachev

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the geological structure of the northern part of the East-Urals Trough. Particular attention is paid to the Kosobrodskaya Formation, where the carbonaceous deposits are most abundant. It was found that the gold in the black shales of the Tyotechnaya Mountain is associated with the intensively dislocated, silicified and sulfidised rocks struck with the diorite porphyry of the Birgildin-Tomino Complex. Channel sampling on the number of wells showed the gold grades up to 1.5 g/t that allows suggesting the setting up of new gold deposit.

Comments to the plenary presentation "Reconstructing Pre-Proto-Uralic typology spanning the millennia of linguistic evolution" by Juha Janhunen / Lśzl̤ Keresztes

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Keresztes, Lśzl̤

2001-01-01

Kommentaar: Janhunen, Juha. "Reconstructing Pre-Proto-Uralic typology spanning the millennia of linguistic evolution", Congressus nonus internationalis fenno-ugristarum. Tartu, 2000, 1, lk. 59-76. Ettekanne konverentsilt - Congressus internationalis fenno-ugristarum (9 : 2000 : Tartu)

The Development of Tourist Relations during the Economic Crisis through the Example of the Southern Great Plain Region and Serbia

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PÉTER GULYÁS

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Since the beginning of the economic crisis, nearby feeder markets have become increasingly important for Hungary’s tourism sector with cross-border cooperation schemes playing an ever increasing role. This also holds true for Hungary’s Southern Great Plain Region when viewed in its relationship with neighbouring Serbia. This paper examines tourism flow changes in the Southern Hungarian Great Plain Region during the period of the economic crisis especially as far as tourism flows from Serbia are concerned. The analysis is based on official statistical data available in respect of commercial accommodation facilities, analyses on tourism trends carried out at the European level, and regional development documents drawn up for the Hungarian–Serbian cross border region. The economic crisis caused a significant downturn in tourism flows in the Southern Great Plain Region. However, the number of tourists arriving from Serbia to the Southern Great Plain and the number of nights they spent there increased even during the crisis partly because of the favourable geographical location of the region, partly because of the intensive cooperation schemes implemented in the tourism sector, and partly because of organised marketing campaigns.

Survival of fishers in the southern Sierra Nevada region of California

Science.gov (United States)

Richard A. Sweitzer; Craig M. Thompson; Rebecca E. Green; Reginald H. Barrett; Kathryn L. Purcell

2015-01-01

Fishers in the western United States were recently proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act because of concerns for loss of suitable habitat and evidence of a diversity of mortality risks that reduce survival. One of 2 remnant populations of fishers in California is in the southern Sierra Nevada region, where we studied them at 2 research sites in the...

A heavy metal atmospheric deposition study in the South Ural mountains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frontas'eva, M.V.; Smirnov, L.I.; Steinnes, E.; Lyapunov, S.M.; Cherchintsev, V.D.

2002-01-01

Samples of the mosses Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi, collected in the summer of 1998, were used to study the atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and other toxic elements in the Chelyabinsk Region situated in the South Ural, one of the most heavily poluted industrial areas of the Russian Federation. Samples of natural soils were collected simultaneously with moss at the same 30 sites in order to investigate surface accumulation of heavy metals and to examine the correlation of elements in moss and soil samples in order to separate contributions from atmospheric deposition and from soil minerals. A total of 38 elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Yb, Hf, Tf, W, Au, Th, U) in soil and 33 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Ag, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Sm, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Th, U) in mosses were determined by epithermal neutron activation analysis, The elements Cu, Cd and Pb (in moss samples only) were obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry. The element concentrations were compared to those for copper basins in Poland and Serbia as well as to baseline concentrations in Norway. VARIMAX rotated principal component analysis was used to identify and characterise different pollution sources and to point out the most polluted areas

Introducing a new Book on the Ural-Altaic Language Classification (Towards Eurasian Linguistic Isoglosses: the Case of Turkic and Hungarian)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marácz, L.

2014-01-01

In this article, László Marácz introduces his own book on a new approach to the Ural-Altaic language classification. The book entitled ‘Towards Eurasian Linguistic Isoglosses: the Case of Hungarian and Turkic’ (henceforth ‘Towards Eurasian Linguistic Isoglosses…’ abbreviated as TELI) develops a

TENDENCIES OF REGIONAL ELITE GOODS MARKET DEVELOPMENT

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A.I. Tatarkin

2008-03-01

Full Text Available During the period of planned economy only a limited section of society with high social status had an access to elite goods in our country. At present an access to these goods is not regulated, and elite goods trade market in Russia is developing rapidly. In the article the essence of "elite good" and "regional elite goods market" concepts is defined, the classification of elite goods markets is given, also the main factors and tendencies of elite goods market development in the Ural Region is analyzed.

South Ural State University Campus: Architectural Development Concept in Accordance with International Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Shabiev, S. G.

2017-11-01

The article deals with the vital problem of the implementation of the Program to enhance the competitiveness of the South Ural State University (SUSU) among other scientific and educational centers, which defines the main objective - to form a world-class university. According to the set objective, the most important task is to build a landscaped campus, which can be efficiently solved by the architectural means. The solution of this task is based on the scientific methods of the territorial and architectural improvement of the main university building complex development in the northern academic area and the architectural and aesthetic improvement of the space structural arrangement of the buildings. The author analyzes the global practice of modern campuses in Russia and abroad based on the Internet resources. The author carried out some additional on-site surveys of foreign campuses in Australia, Canada and China. The essence of the architectural concept of the first university campus development stage lies in the science-based achievement of a harmonious architectural and space unity of solid and plane elements of the site development, landscape arrangement of the main building’s courtyard and the adjacent territories with an efficient use of the relief, water areas and planting, allotment of additional spaces for landscaped areas due to a split-level arrangement, including a landscaped platform, increase of the underground space utilization share with the arrangement of an underground car parking and an underground walkway considering the environmental requirements. Further, it is planned to use the author’s methodological approach for the southern academic and the northern residential university areas, which will allow to create a duly completed landscaped SUSU campus with a developed infrastructure according to the international standards.

Vicariance, long-distance dispersal, and regional extinction-recolonization dynamics explain the disjunct circumpolar distribution of the arctic-alpine plant Silene acaulis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gussarova, Galina; Allen, Geraldine A; Mikhaylova, Yulia; McCormick, Laurie J; Mirré, Virginia; Marr, Kendrick L; Hebda, Richard J; Brochmann, Christian

2015-10-01

Many arctic-alpine species have vast geographic ranges, but these may encompass substantial gaps whose origins are poorly understood. Here we address the phylogeographic history of Silene acaulis, a perennial cushion plant with a circumpolar distribution except for a large gap in Siberia. We assessed genetic variation in a range-wide sample of 103 populations using plastid DNA (pDNA) sequences and AFLPs (amplified fragment length polymorphisms). We constructed a haplotype network and performed Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on plastid sequences. We visualized AFLP patterns using principal coordinate analysis, identified genetic groups using the program structure, and estimated genetic diversity and rarity indices by geographic region. The history of the main pDNA lineages was estimated to span several glaciations. AFLP data revealed a distinct division between Beringia/North America and Europe/East Greenland. These two regions shared only one of 17 pDNA haplotypes. Populations on opposite sides of the Siberian range gap (Ural Mountains and Chukotka) were genetically distinct and appear to have resulted from postglacial leading-edge colonizations. We inferred two refugia in North America (Beringia and the southern Rocky Mountains) and two in Europe (central-southern Europe and northern Europe/East Greenland). Patterns in the East Atlantic region suggested transoceanic long-distance dispersal events. Silene acaulis has a highly dynamic history characterized by vicariance, regional extinction, and recolonization, with persistence in at least four refugia. Long-distance dispersal explains patterns across the Atlantic Ocean, but we found no evidence of dispersal across the Siberian range gap. © 2015 Botanical Society of America.

The Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and Radionuclides in the South Ural

CERN Document Server

Smirnov, L I; Staines, E; Lyapunov, S M; Cherdintsev, V D; Romanov, S A; Samosadnyi, V T

2003-01-01

Samples of the mosses Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi and surface soil, collected in 1997-2001, were used to study the atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and radionuclides in the South Ural Mountains characterized by intense anthropogenic impact from various industries. A total of 38 elements in soil and 33 elements in moss were determined by epithermal neutron activation analysis. The elements Cu, Cd and Pb were determined in moss samples only by atomic absorption spectrometry. ^{90}Sr and ^{137}Cs activity was measured in surface soil samples also. VARIMAX rotated principal component analysis and GIS maps of factor scores were used to identify and characterise different pollution sources and to point out the most polluted areas.

History of cotton fiber bioscience research at USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Improving fiber quality has been an important breeding goal for cotton breeders. Better understanding of fiber development helps cotton scientists to devise a strategy for crop improvement either through marker-assisted selection or via manipulation of fiber genes. USDA-ARS Southern Regional Researc...

Canine and Human Dirofilariosis in the Rostov Region (Southern Russia

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Vladimir Kartashev

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Epidemiological data on canine and human dirofilariosis in the Rostov Region (Southern Russia are presented. Prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. infections in 795 autochthonous dogs, assessed by the Knott test, was 20.25%. The highest prevalence was found in Novocherkassk (38.3% and Rostov-on-Don (18.5%, while prevalences were lower in other points of the region. Prevalence of D. repens was 44.7%, prevalence of D. immitis was 30.3%, and coinfections were observed in 25.0% of the dog population. A case finding study carried out during 9 years (2000–2009 revealed 131 cases of human dirofilariosis in the Rostov Region, 129 of subcutaneous dirofilariosis and 2 of pulmonary dirofilariosis. Seroprevalence among 317 healthy blood donors from the Rostov Region was 10.4%, while seroprevalence in policemen living in Rostov city and working in training dogs was 19%. These data show high infection rates of Dirofilaria spp. in both human and dog populations of Rostov, probably because of the existence of favorable conditions for the transmission in this region.

Conceptual Foundations of Transition to the Nonlinear Models of Higher Education in the Region

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Garold Efimovich Zborovsky

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The subject matter of the analysis is the non-linear characteristics of the new model of higher education in relation to its resources and risk environment. The purpose of this article is to prove the need and the possibility of transition to the nonlinear model of higher education in the region on the basis of theoretical positions and the results of the study of non-linear socio-economic processes. In this connection, the socio-economic factors of such transition are characterized; the objective necessity of its implementation in the context of the economic and social uncertainty of a particular region, which is Ural Federal District, is shown. A new type of relationship between universities and their social partners is considered. The need for the change of interactions between educational communities; reliance on the use of a new wide range of economic, social and spiritual resources; the constant search for new mechanisms, educational programs, relations with the external environment, management decisions are argued. Ural Federal District is shown as one of the most advanced regions of the Russian Federation not only in the sphere of the economy, social and cultural life, but also in the sphere of higher education. This circumstance is related to the constant, intensive search for innovative approaches to the modernization of higher education in the region, including the formation of its non-linear model. The presented situation forms the basis of the hypothesis that the non-linear model of higher education can ensure its competitiveness in the global educational space, to enhance its role in the society and specific regions of the country and to turn it into a locomotive of the socio-economic and socio-cultural development. The study is based on an interdisciplinary methodology, including the potential of theoretical sociology, sociology of education, economic sociology, management theory, regional economy. The findings of the research

Cryogenic Minerals in Caves of the Vizhay River (Northern Urals

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E. P. Bazarova

2018-03-01

Full Text Available New information on the cryogenic mineral formations at the two Vizhay River caves (Northern Urals is given.   Calcite with the insignificant gypsum admixture predominates in the cryogenic material composition from both caves. In addition, the metastable phases of calcite, such as monohydrocalcite and ikaite were found. In the Saksofon Cave, calcite forms both spherulites and complanate grains. In Lednikovaya Cave, the major part of cryomaterial is presented by spherulites, which may suggests the significant supersaturation of solution. In Lednikovaya Сave, the distinct concentric structure with the growth zones denotes the cryogenic material formation in a thin water film under the partial thawing of upper part of long-term ice mound in summer. In Saksofon Cave the growth zones in crystals are poorly developed that probably caused by the seasonal glaciation in the cave and cryogenic minerals are younger than those in the Lednikovaya Cave.

Effects of forest fires in southern and central of Zabaykal region

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L. V. Buryak

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The fire frequency situation in Zabaykal region from 1964 to 2015 is evaluated and discussed in the paper. The main reasons of decadal increase of fire numbers and the area burned are revealed. The main reasons of high fire frequency and the increase of fire activity in the last decades are shown. The characteristics of the weather conditions in the years of high fire frequency are presented. Fire activity was found to increase not only because of the droughts in the last decades but also due to forest disturbances in Zabaykalsky Krai by illegal logging. Based on the data from 170 sample sites laid out with the use of satellite images, forest inventory data and results of ground sample transects, the impact of the wildfires of different type, form and severity on tree mortality in the light-coniferous forests was estimated, as well as the amount of tree regeneration in the forest areas disturbed by fires, logged sites (both burned and unburned, and sites burned repeatedly was evaluated. Wildfires in the Zabaykal region were found to be strong ecological factor influencing on the probability of existence of many forest ecosystems. In case of further climate warming and repeated fires, the part of the forests may transform to the non forest areas. The steppification of the burned sites in the southern forest-steppe regions and in the low parts of the southern slopes at the border with steppe landscapes as well as desertification in the central parts of the region and swamping of burned sites located in the wet soils are observed. Wind and water soil erosion happens at the large burned sites.

Using the CAE technologies of engineering analysis for designing steam turbines at ZAO Ural Turbine Works

Science.gov (United States)

Goloshumova, V. N.; Kortenko, V. V.; Pokhoriler, V. L.; Kultyshev, A. Yu.; Ivanovskii, A. A.

2008-08-01

We describe the experience ZAO Ural Turbine Works specialists gained from mastering the series of CAD/CAE/CAM/PDM technologies, which are modern software tools of computer-aided engineering. We also present the results obtained from mathematical simulation of the process through which high-and intermediate-pressure rotors are heated for revealing the most thermally stressed zones, as well as the results from mathematical simulation of a new design of turbine cylinder shells for improving the maneuverability of these turbines.

Reconsidering the origins of the Southern African regionalism thirty years later: towards a constructivist approach to the origins of SADC

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José Abel Moma

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The creation of SADCC has generated a debate over the real origins of the southern African model of regionalism. This paper develops the idea that the origins of SADC are both internal and external. Thus, southern African regionalism is understood as a constructivist articulation of internal and external inputs, which determined the creation of SADCC and its transformation into SADC.

Assessing radiation exposure of herbaceous plant species at the East-Ural Radioactive Trace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karimullina, Elina; Antonova, Elena; Pozolotina, Vera

2013-01-01

The East-Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) is a result of the Mayak Production Association accident that occurred in 1957 in Russia. Radiological assessment improves the interpretation of biological effects of exposure to ionizing radiation. Therefore a modeling approach was used to estimate dose rates on Leonurus quinquelobatus, Silene latifolia, Stellaria graminea and Bromus inermis. Soil-to-organism transfer parameter values are delivered from empirical data of 90 Sr and 137 Cs soil and vegetative plant mass activity concentrations. External and internal whole-body dose rates were calculated using deterministic (The ERICA Tool-Tier 2 and R and D 128/SP1a) and probabilistic (The ERICA Tool-Tier 3) methods. The total dose rate for herbs was under 100 μGy h −1 at the most polluted site. The total absorbed dose rates increased 43–110 times (Tier 3) for different herbaceous plant species along the pollution gradient. Based on these data, it can be concluded that herbaceous plant populations currently exist under low-level chronic exposure at the EURT area. -- Highlights: • A modeling approach (The ERICA Tool-Tier 2, Tier 3 and R and D 128/SP1a) was used to estimate dose rates for herbs growing in the wild at the East-Ural Radioactive Trace. • The highest levels of anthropogenic radiation exposure were determined for herbs at Impact EURT sites. • Total absorbed dose rates increased 43–110 times (Tier 3) for different herbaceous plant species along the pollution gradient. • Total dose rate per plant organism for herbs is under 100 μGy h −1 at the most polluted site. Currently herbaceous plant populations exist under low-level chronic exposure at the EURT area

Gold in Accessory Zircon (the Kozhim Massif, Subpolar Urals)

Science.gov (United States)

Denisova, Yuliya; Pystin, Aleksandr

2017-12-01

The crystals of zircon due to their resistance to external impact of various processes can reveal information about the environment of their formation and the inclusions observed of them. Zircon contains different mineral inclusions: biotite, plagioclase, quartz, apatite, etc. However, there is no information about gold inclusions in the zircons from granites of the Sudpolar Urals. The study results of the inclusions of gold in accessory zircon of the Kozhim granitic massif are presented in this paper. The studied mineral is a dark-brown translucent short-prismatic crystal containing the inclusion of gold and the allocations of quartz. According to studies, the inclusion of gold formed during the growth of zircon and it is the gold covered with a thin film of oxide gold. It was confirmed that the crystallization of the studied zircon occurred at a temperature of 800°C and above on the stage of formation of granites of Kozhim massif. The assumption is made about the additional temperature in the course of which was caused by decreasing of temperature up to 700° C and below during postmagmatic stage.

Variability of the extent of the Hadley circulation in the southern hemisphere: a regional perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, H.; Hendon, H. H.; Lim, E.-P.; Boschat, G.; Maloney, E.; Timbal, B.

2018-01-01

In order to understand the regional impacts of variations in the extent of the Hadley circulation in the Southern Hemisphere, regional Hadley circulations are defined in three sectors centered on the main tropical heat sources over Africa, Asia-Pacific (Maritime Continent) and the Americas. These regional circulations are defined by computing a streamfunction from the divergent component of the meridional wind. A major finding from this study is that year-to-year variability in the extent of the hemispheric Hadley circulation in the Southern Hemisphere is primarily governed by variations of the extent of the Hadley circulation in the Asia-Pacific sector, especially during austral spring and summer when there is little co-variability with the African sector, and the American sector exhibits an out of phase behavior. An expanded Hadley circulation in the Southern Hemisphere (both hemispherically and in the Asia-Pacific sector) is associated with La Niña conditions and a poleward expansion of the tropical wet zone in the Asia-Pacific sector. While La Niña also promotes expansion in the American and African sectors during austral winter, these tropical conditions tend to promote contraction in the two sectors during austral summer as a result of compensating convergence over the Americas and Africa sectors: a process driven by variations in the Walker circulation and Rossby wave trains emanating from the tropical Indian Ocean.

Introduction of Open E-Learning System as a Factor of Regional Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Yuryevna Bystrova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article analyses the economic and socio-cultural premises for introducing the open e-learning in the Ural region, as well as the potential economic effect of this type of educational activity. The article strives to prove a regular pattern of the universities’ transition to e-learning, also in connection with the changes of the educational paradigm and the nature of the educational system management. The hypothesis of the paper is connected with bringing the economic dimension to a humanitarian concept of e-learning, which becomes more and more widespread. The methodology of the article is based on the recognition of the fact that the macroeconomic processes in the information society and the processes occurring in a particular industry — higher education — are of isomorphic nature. On the basis of the analysis of global experience and basic theoretical approaches to e-learning, including the Lifelong Learning concept, the authors make a conclusion of the progressive growth of interest in different countries and regions. The e-learning is treated primarily as a tool to improve quality and efficiency of the educational process. The accuracy of understanding functions and peculiarities of e-learning allows one to determine a positive economic effect of its application for the university, the region, and the employers. The article shows organisational mechanisms and financial model of implementing e-learning in the Ural Federal University. The description is made of the cost options for open-type e-learning course development, investment parameters for their establishment, as well as costs of implementing educational programmes with the application of e-learning. The analysis of the activities of Ural Federal University on implementing e-learning gives the opportunity to further imagine the effect from the introduction of e-learning in other universities in the region. The results of the research may be applied in the institutions of

Lower Carboniferous Siderites: A Product of Bottom Seeps and Bacterial Metanogenesis (Subpolar Urals)

Science.gov (United States)

Antoshkina, A. I.; Ryabinkina, N. N.

2018-02-01

Complex modern micro- and spectroscopic methods for study of siderite concretions in the Lower Carboniferous terrigenous strata on the Kozhym River (Subpolar Urals) have shown that its formation was caused by destruction of clay minerals due to the activity of bacterial communities. The abundance of these bacteria was caused by gas-fluid seeps and bacterial methanogenesis processes in bottom deposits. In basins with normal marine fauna, this led to local desalination, hydrogen sulfide contamination, mass collapse of primary organisms, and the development of element-specific bacteria. The occurrence of these bacteria caused the formation of specific authigenic mineralization in the concretion of sideritic bacteriolites: the framboidal pyrite, sphalerite, galenite, barite, sulfoselenides, and tellurides.

Imaging of 3-D seismic velocity structure of Southern Sumatra region using double difference tomographic method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lestari, Titik, E-mail: t2klestari@gmail.com [Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (MCGA), Jalan Angkasa I No.2 Kemayoran, Jakarta Pusat, 10720 (Indonesia); Faculty of Earth Science and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa No.10, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia); Nugraha, Andri Dian, E-mail: nugraha@gf.itb.ac.id [Global Geophysical Research Group, Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa 10 Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

2015-04-24

Southern Sumatra region has a high level of seismicity due to the influence of the subduction system, Sumatra fault, Mentawai fault and stretching zone activities. The seismic activities of Southern Sumatra region are recorded by Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (MCGA’s) Seismograph network. In this study, we used earthquake data catalog compiled by MCGA for 3013 events from 10 seismic stations around Southern Sumatra region for time periods of April 2009 – April 2014 in order to invert for the 3-D seismic velocities structure (Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs ratio). We applied double-difference seismic tomography method (tomoDD) to determine Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs ratio with hypocenter adjustment. For the inversion procedure, we started from the initial 1-D seismic velocity model of AK135 and constant Vp/Vs of 1.73. The synthetic travel time from source to receiver was calculated using ray pseudo-bending technique, while the main tomographic inversion was applied using LSQR method. The resolution model was evaluated using checkerboard test and Derivative Weigh Sum (DWS). Our preliminary results show low Vp and Vs anomalies region along Bukit Barisan which is may be associated with weak zone of Sumatran fault and migration of partial melted material. Low velocity anomalies at 30-50 km depth in the fore arc region may indicated the hydrous material circulation because the slab dehydration. We detected low seismic seismicity in the fore arc region that may be indicated as seismic gap. It is coincides contact zone of high and low velocity anomalies. And two large earthquakes (Jambi and Mentawai) also occurred at the contact of contrast velocity.

Cane pruning on Chardonnay grapevine in the high-altitude regions of Southern Brazil

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Filho José Luiz Marcon

2016-01-01

Full Text Available High-altitude regions of southern Brazil, located above 900 m above sea level, the cordon training with spur pruning is widely used because of easier application. In these regions, Chardonnay wine grape shows potential to produce quality wines, however, in commercial vineyards, the training system used has not provided productivities that makes economically viable the cultivation of this variety. Given this, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of different cane-pruning systems on the vegetative, productive and enological potential of Chardonnay grapevines grown in the high-altitude region of Southern Brazil. The experiment was conducted in a commercial Chardonnay vineyard, located in São Joaquim – Santa Catarina State (28o17 ′39”S and 49∘ 55′56” W, to 1230 m a.s.l during 2015 and 2016 vintages. Chardonnay vines (grafted on 1103 Paulsen were planted in 2010, with a 3.0 m (row × 1.0 m (vine spacing. The treatments consisted of different cane-pruning systems: Cordon spur-pruning (control; Sylvoz; Cazenave; Capovolto; single Guyot and double Guyot. Pruning was performed in August of each year when the buds were in the green tip developmental stage. Data was analyzed by Scott Knott test (p < 0.05 following a randomized block design with four replicates, each consisting of 12 vines per plot. We observed higher yield in the Cazenave and double Guyot training system with three and two more tons of grapes than spur-pruning respectively. The bud fertility was higher in plants trained in double Guyot. Vines spur-pruned showed higher relation of leaf area: production, with values above 100 cm2 g−1 grape at 2016 vintage. Commercial maturity of grapes (soluble solids, acidity and polyphenols did not differ among training systems studied. The results suggest that cane-pruning systems could be an alternative to increase production efficiency of Chardonnay in high-altitude region of southern Brazil.

From the “Bascardi” to the “Bashkirs”: The Fate of an Ethnonym during the 13th–16th centuries

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Aksanov A.V.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Research objectives: To analyse information of the sources of the 13th–16th centuries regarding the “Bascardi”, “Pascatur”, “Baschirdi”, “Bashkirds”, “Bashkirs” (together with other variations and to study the interrelation of these ethnonyms and the historical fate of those who bore them. Research materials: In addition to written sources (Latin, Russian and Arabic, materials from archaeological research, linguistic data, epigraphy, historical ethnology and climatology. Research results and novelty: Prior to the Mongol-Tatar invasion, “Magna Hungaria”, located east of Bolghar, was inhabited by the “Bascardi” who, according to written sources and archaeology, belonged to the nomadic Ugrians and consisted mostly of pagans. During the Great western campaign of the Mongols, most of the Cisuralic Ugrians (“Bascardi” perished or left this territory (one part of the population fled from the invaders and the other one was deported. During the Golden Horde period, Muslim Turks from the Bolghar and Central Asia settled in the Cisuralic region and gradually assimilated the remains of the “Bascardi” of the Southern Cis-Urals. In the 15th–16th centuries, the ethnonyms “Baschirdi”, “Bashkirs” and the like are not associated with the Southern Cis-Urals, but with more northern territories – that is, with the upper reaches of the Kama. Due to serious climatic and political changes that began in the 1550s (one of the climatic minima of the Little Ice Age, the fall of the Kazan Khanate, and turbulence combined with epidemics in the Nogai Horde, the “Bashkirs” began to move to the Southern Cis-Urals, as is evidenced by the sources of the late 16th–17th centuries.

Iron stress in the Pacific region of the Southern Ocean : evidence from enrichment bioassays

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmermans, Klaas; van Leeuwe, M.A.; de Jong, J.T.M.; Nolting, R.F.; Witte, H.J; van Ooyen, J; Swagerman, M.J W; Kloosterhuis, H; de Baar, H.J.W.

1998-01-01

The effect of iron on phytoplankton physiology in a scarcely investigated part of the Pacific region of the Southern Ocean was studied during an expedition aboard RV 'Polarstern'. Physiological effects of iron enrichments were studied during short-term bottle experiments (72 h) in high-nutrient,

Public estimation of the program of the rehabilitation of the east Urals territory of radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishutina, T.A.; Korobejnikova, T.A.; Pavlov, B.S.; Suslo, A.F.; Sharova, A.F.

1996-01-01

The state of public opinion at the East Urals territory of radioactive contamination of the moment of the adoption of a number of govement acts on rehabilitation may be considered as transitory from the state of actually complete neglect of the problem on the part of the government (1950-70) to that of publicity and taking first practical steps towards development and implementation of rehabilitation policies (1990 s). A primary goal for a program for such territories should be achieving their overall revival on the basis of modern requirements of the population

Fourth youth scientifically-practical conference Nuclear-industrial complex of Ural: problems and prospects. Theses of reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

Theses of reports of the Fourth youth scientifically-practical conference Nuclear-industrial complex of Ural: problems and prospects (18-20 April 2007, Ozersk) are presented. The book contains theses of reports of the seventh subject sections: NFC: science and industry; Ecological problems in NFC development: radiation safety, radioecology and radiobiology; Nuclear power engineering: economics, safety, field experience; Atomic branch: history, today and future; New technologies in education. Education and training for NFC plants, public opinion; Information technologies and telecommunications; Long-term science intensive technologies and new materials [ru

DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION IN THE CITIES WITH POPULATION FROM 250 TO 500 THOUSAND INHABITANTS (on the example of the cities of the Ural Federal District

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Mikhaylovna Shentsova

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In article history of construction of high-rise buildings, features of perception of high-rise buildings in the urban environment what factors influence the choice of the site of high-rise buildings are considered. Such concepts as “skyscraper”, “a high-rise dominant” reveal. Also, the analysis of existence of high-rise buildings of the large cities with population from 250 to 500 thousand residents of the Ural Federal District is provided: Barrow, Nizhny Tagil, Nizhnevartovsk, Surgut and Magnitogorsk. And also the analysis of a town-planning situation of Magnitogorsk where the possible, most probable and offered places for an arrangement of high-rise buildings on crossing or end of axes of streets are revealed is given. Work purpose – the analysis of high-rise construction in the large cities of the Ural Federal District with population from 250 to 500 thousand inhabitants. Method or methodology of carrying out work: in article methods of the theoretical and visual analysis, observation, and also studying literary and the Internet of sources were used. Results: the systematized theoretical material in the field of architecture and town planning of the cities of the Ural Federal District is received. Scope of results: the received results can be applied in the field of architectural education and practical architectural activities.

Isotopic composition of groundwater in semi-arid regions of Southern Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vogel, J.C.; Urk, H. van

1975-01-01

Although the isotope content of precipitation in the semi-arid regions of southern Africa is extremely variable, groundwater samples from the same district are found to have a remarkably constant isotopic composition. The oxygen-18 content of the underground water, in general, varies by about 0.5% in a given area. The differences that occur between different regions are sufficiently large to allow the groundwater of an area to be characterized by means of its oxygen-18 content. In order to localize the infiltration area of an aquifer, radiocarbon dating of the water is used. It appears that the groundwater contains, in general, less of the heavy isotopes than does the precipitation in the recharge area. This indicates that infiltration only takes place during periods of heavy rainfall. Examples are given where the isotope content of the groundwater is used to distinguish between different aquifers in the same region

Regional assessment of the status, distribution and conservation needs of cheetahs in southern Africa

OpenAIRE

Purchase, Gianetta; Marker, Laurie; Marnewick, Kelly; Klein, Rebecca; Williams, Samual

2007-01-01

A country by country assessment of the status, distribution and conservation needs for cheetah Acinonyx jubatus in the southern African region indicates that this area holds a significant proportion of the global population of cheetahs, at least 4 500 adults. The largest proportion of this regional population occurs in four range states, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe where it is under threat as a result of conflict with livestock and wildlife ranchers, removal of animals (both ...

Improving epidemic malaria planning, preparedness and response in Southern Africa. Report on the 1st Southern African Regional Epidemic Outlook Forum, Harare, Zimbabwe, 26-29 September, 2004.

Science.gov (United States)

DaSilva, Joaquim; Garanganga, Brad; Teveredzi, Vonai; Marx, Sabine M; Mason, Simon J; Connor, Stephen J

2004-10-22

Malaria is a major public health problem for countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). While the endemicity of malaria varies enormously across this region, many of the countries have districts that are prone to periodic epidemics, which can be regional in their extent, and to resurgent outbreaks that are much more localized. These epidemics are frequently triggered by climate anomalies and often follow periods of drought. Many parts of Southern Africa have suffered rainfall deficit over the past three years and countries expect to see increased levels of malaria when the rains return to more 'normal' levels. Problems with drug and insecticide resistance are documented widely and the region contains countries with the highest rates of HIV prevalence to be found anywhere in the world. Consequently, many communities are vulnerable to severe disease outcomes should epidemics occur. The SADC countries have adopted the Abuja targets for Roll Back Malaria in Africa, which include improved epidemic detection and response, i.e., that 60% of epidemics will be detected within two weeks of onset, and 60% of epidemics will be responded to within two weeks of detection. The SADC countries recognize that to achieve these targets they need improved information on where and when to look for epidemics. The WHO integrated framework for improved early warning and early detection of malaria epidemics has been recognized as a potentially useful tool for epidemic preparedness and response planning. Following evidence of successful adoption and implementation of this approach in Botswana, the SADC countries, the WHO Southern Africa Inter-Country Programme on Malaria Control, and the SADC Drought Monitoring Centre decided to organize a regional meeting where countries could gather to assess their current control status and community vulnerability, consider changes in epidemic risk, and develop a detailed plan of action for the forthcoming 2004-2005 season. The

Description of a New Temnocephala Species (Platyhelminthes) from the Southern Neotropical Region.

Science.gov (United States)

de León, Rodrigo Ponce; Vera, Bárbara Berón; Volonterio, Odile

2015-08-01

The genus Temnocephala is endemic to the Neotropical region. Temnocephala mexicana and Temnocephala chilensis are the only 2 temnocephalans whose known distribution ranges extend to the south beyond Parallel 40°S. No Temnocephala species has ever been recorded from the extensive area between Parallel 43°S and the southern end of the South American continent, which makes the study of the southern limit of the distribution of the genus a topic of great interest. The southernmost report corresponds to T. chilensis from the Telsen River, Chubut Province, Argentina. In March 2000, several temnocephalans were found on the freshwater anomuran crustacean Aegla neuquensis from the same locality; the specimens were identified as belonging to a new species, which is described here. This species is characterized by possessing an unusually thin-walled, narrow zone that has the appearance of a deep groove connecting the introvert to the shaft of the penial stylet; an introvert with 36 longitudinal rows of spines, each bearing 6-8 spines that are progressively smaller towards the distal end; a distal end of the introvert with a very thin, sclerotized wall without spines; a seminal vesicle that opens sub-polarly into the contractile vesicle; a pair of paranephrocytes at the level of the pharynx and a second pair at the level of the anterior portion of the anterior testes, and eggs with very long stalks. On the basis of their overall morphology, host preference, and geographical distribution, T. chilensis and the new species are closely related, so a diagnostic key for the southern species of Temnocephala is also included. The type locality of the new species is in the southern limit of the known distribution area of T. chilensis, so after this work there are 2 known species marking the southern limit of the distribution of the genus.

The Southern Kalahari: a potential new dust source in the Southern Hemisphere?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattachan, Abinash; D’Odorico, Paolo; Baddock, Matthew C; Zobeck, Ted M; Okin, Gregory S; Cassar, Nicolas

2012-01-01

Most sources of atmospheric dust on Earth are located in the Northern Hemisphere. The lower dust emissions in the Southern Hemisphere in part limit the supply of micronutrients (primarily soluble iron) to the Southern Ocean, thereby constraining its productivity. Climate and land use change can alter the current distribution of dust source regions on Earth. Can new dust sources be activated in the Southern Hemisphere? Here we show that vegetation loss and dune remobilization in the Southern Kalahari can promote dust emissions comparable to those observed from major contemporary dust sources in the Southern African region. Dust generation experiments support the hypothesis that, in the Southern Kalahari, aeolian deposits that are currently mostly stabilized by savanna vegetation are capable of emitting substantial amounts of dust from interdune areas. We show that dust from these areas is relatively rich in soluble iron, an important micronutrient for ocean productivity. Trajectory analyses show that dust from the Kalahari commonly reaches the Southern Ocean and could therefore enhance its productivity. (letter)

Water demand studies. [central and southern California regions

Science.gov (United States)

Bowden, L. W.; Estes, J. E.; Churchman, C. W.; Johnson, C. W.; Huning, J. R.; Rozelle, K.; Hamilton, J.; Washburn, G.; Tinney, L. R.; Thaman, R. R.

1973-01-01

The areas of focus of the Santa Barbara and Riverside groups in conducting water demand studies are the central and southern California regional test sites, respectively. Within each test site, sub-areas have been selected for use in the making of detailed investigations. Within each of these sub-areas an in-depth evaluation is being made as to the capability of remote sensing systems to provide pertinent data relative to water demand phenomena. These more limited sub-areas are: (1) Kern County and the San Joaquin Basin; (2) Chino-Riverside Basin; and (3) the Imperial Valley. Rational for the selection of these subareas included the following: Much of the previous remote sensing research had been conducted in these areas and therefore a great deal of remote sensing imagery and pertinent ground truth for the areas was already available.

The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000): Overview of the Dry Season Field Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Swap, R. J.; Annegarn, H. J.; Suttles, J. T.; Haywood, J.; Helmlinger, M. C.; Hely, C.; Hobbs, P. V.; Holben, B. N.; Ji, J.; King, M. D.

2002-01-01

The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) is an international project investigating the earth atmosphere -human system in southern Africa. The programme was conducted over a two year period from March 1999 to March 2001. The dry season field campaign (August-September 2000) was the most intensive activity involved over 200 scientist from eighteen countries. The main objectives were to characterize and quantify biogenic, pyrogenic and anthropogenic aerosol and trace gas emissions and their transport and transformations in the atmosphere and to validate NASA's Earth Observing System's Satellite Terra within a scientific context. Five aircraft-- two South African Weather Service Aeorcommanders, the University of Washington's CV-880, the U.K. Meteorological Office's C-130, and NASA's ER-2 --with different altitude capabilities, participated in the campaign. Additional airborne sampling of southern African air masses, that had moved downwind of the subcontinent, was conducted by the CSIRO over Australia. Multiple Observations were made in various geographical sections under different synoptic conditions. Airborne missions were designed to optimize the value of synchronous over-flights of the Terra Satellite platform, above regional ground validation and science targets. Numerous smaller scale ground validation activities took place throughout the subcontinent during the campaign period.

Main consistent patterns of Stromatoporoid Development in the Late Ordovician and Silurian in the North Urals Palaeobasin

Science.gov (United States)

Antropova, E.

2009-04-01

In the history of the Earth there have been no basins with similar characteristics. The North Urals palaeobasin had its own unique features. The dominant benthic organisms of basin ecosystem during the Ordovician and Silurian were stromatoporoids, corals, and brachiopods. This fauna is vitally important for the aims of stratigraphy so long as conodonts are extremely rare in sections of the Northern Urals area. The most complete ordering of stromatoporoid complexes has been established and made it possible to estimate rates and measures of extinction at a level of the province. It was also found out that stromatoporoids were organisms responsive to subtle changes of environment and that they accommodated differently to those changing conditions. The evolution of stromatoporoids was accompanied by phylogenetic reorganization and formation of endemic communities in the Late Ordovician and Early Silurian. In the Late Silurian taxonomical diversity of stromatoporoids was mainly controlled by migration processes and cosmopolites with wide palaeogeographic links prevailed in the palaeobasin. Therefore palaeobasin at that time was open to stromatoporoid fauna migration which is confirmed by the occurrence of genera and species that disperse in coeval deposits of many areas, for example, Baltic States, Sweden, Ukraine (Podolia), Western Siberia, Arctic islands of Russia, Mongolia, Canada (islands). The evolution of stromatoporoid communities in the Ordovician-Silurian was intermitted by biotic crises. The analysis of stromatoporoid development helps to define crucial points of ecosystem's reorganizations coinciding with critical geological and biotic events in the history of the North Urals palaeobasin existence, as well as global events during the Ordovician and Silurian (Hirnantian Event, Ireviken Event, Lau Event). The analysis of crises indicates local dependence of stromatoporoid biodiversity on depositional environments. Large local biocenos reorganizations and biotic

The atmospheric boundary layer over land and sea: Focus on the off-shore Southern Baltic and Southern North Sea region

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Søren Ejling

Lecture notes for a short course on the ideal atmospheric boundary layer and its characteristics for different types of real boundary layers, aiming at a discussion of the coastal conditions at the Southern Baltic and North Sea region. The notes are aimed at young scientists (e.g. PhD students......) that study the physics of the atmospheric boundary layer with the purpose of applying this knowledge for remote sensing techniques within offshore wind energy....

Demographic aspects of social security in region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alla Gennad'evna Leont'eva

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a situational analysis of the level of life safety in the field of demographic regions of the Ural Federal District. The analysis is based on data from the Federal Statistics and covers the period 2000-2010. We have developed a system of indicators for evaluating safety in the demographic sphere. We set the main threats to the social and economic stability in the regions. The system of thresholds includes three blocks: the reproduction of the population, marriage and family relationships and health. We have presented a quantitative description of the main threats. Identified priority areas of social protection, providing increased stability of the regional socio-economic development, reducing the likelihood of social conflicts and improve the demographic situation.

Characteristics of regional aerosols: Southern Arizona and eastern Pacific Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Prabhakar, Gouri

Atmospheric aerosols impact the quality of our life in many direct and indirect ways. Inhalation of aerosols can have harmful effects on human health. Aerosols also have climatic impacts by absorbing or scattering solar radiation, or more indirectly through their interactions with clouds. Despite a better understanding of several relevant aerosol properties and processes in the past years, they remain the largest uncertainty in the estimate of global radiative forcing. The uncertainties arise because although aerosols are ubiquitous in the Earth's atmosphere they are highly variable in space, time and their physicochemical properties. This makes in-situ measurements of aerosols vital in our effort towards reducing uncertainties in the estimate of global radiative forcing due to aerosols. This study is an effort to characterize atmospheric aerosols at a regional scale, in southern Arizona and eastern Pacific Ocean, based on ground and airborne observations of aerosols. Metals and metalloids in particles with aerodynamic diameter (Dp) smaller than 2.5 μm are found to be ubiquitous in southern Arizona. The major sources of the elements considered in the study are identified to be crustal dust, smelting/mining activities and fuel combustion. The spatial and temporal variability in the mass concentrations of these elements depend both on the source strength and meteorological conditions. Aircraft measurements of aerosol and cloud properties collected during various field campaigns over the eastern Pacific Ocean are used to study the sources of nitrate in stratocumulus cloud water and the relevant processes. The major sources of nitrate in cloud water in the region are emissions from ships and wildfires. Different pathways for nitrate to enter cloud water and the role of meteorology in these processes are examined. Observations of microphysical properties of ambient aerosols in ship plumes are examined. The study shows that there is an enhancement in the number

Paleolakes in the Gobi region of southern Mongolia

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmkuhl, Frank; Grunert, Jörg; Hülle, Daniela; Batkhishig, Ochirbat; Stauch, Georg

2018-01-01

Numerous lakes and remnants of paleolakes exist in western and southern Mongolia. For six basins in the area, detailed geomorphological maps were compiled, based on extensive field studies and remote sensing datasets. Several phases of high and low lake levels were reconstructed and dated by radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence. During the marine isotope stage (MIS) 6 lakes in southern and western Mongolia mostly disappeared. In contrast, large paleolakes existed during the last interglacial (MIS 5e) and lasted probably until the beginning of the last glacial. These huge lakes were caused by a strong East Asian summer monsoon, which reached southern and even western Mongolia. During the MIS 3 the monsoon was considerably weaker and most of the lakes were relatively small or even disappeared. Higher lake levels of this period were only recorded at the Orog Nuur. However, at this time the lake was fed by glacial melt water from the Khangai Mountains. The MIS 2 was again a very dry period. The previously supposed phase of synchronous high lake levels and glaciations in southern and western Mongolia is not supported by the data presented here. During the Holocene, lakes in the western and southern part of the study area evolved differently. Early Holocene high lake levels were reconstructed for the western lakes, while most of the southern lakes had highest lake levels in the mid-Holocene. These differences can be attributed to different moisture bearing atmospheric systems. In the late Holocene lake levels were generally low and in the last 50 years most lakes completely disappeared due to a strong human usage of the water resources.

A Regional View of the Margin: Salmonid Abundance and Distribution in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

Patricia A. Flebbe

1994-01-01

In the southern Appalachian Mountains, native brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and introduced rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and brown trout Salmo trutta are at the southern extremes of their distributions, an often overlooked kind of marginal habitat. At a regional scale composed of the states of Virginia...

K-Ar and Rb-Sr dating results of the Malyshevsky leucogranite massif (eastern slope of the Middle Urals)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smirnov, V.N.; Ivanov, K.S.; Ronkin, Yu.L.; Levin, V.Ya.; Bushlyakov, I.N.; Lepikhina, O.P.; Popova, O.Yu.

2005-01-01

The age of leucogranites and minerals forming the Malyshevsky massif was identified by the methods of K-Ar- and Rb-Sr dating for refining the sequence of magmatic complexes formation on the eastern slope of the Middle Urals. The obtained isotope age values, i.e. 229-277 mln. years (K-Ar) and 277.1±1.1 mln. years (Rb-Sr), permit considering the age of 277 mln. years as the period of the leucogranites formation and of the associated molybdenum mineralization [ru

Experience of development of porphyry copper type deposits in the Urals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

И. А. Алтушкин

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Russian copper company was the first in Russia to start developing porphyry copper deposits. In 2013 the Mikheevsky mining and processing plant with the annual production capacity of 18 mln t of ore was put into exploitation. The use of innovative approaches regarding choice of the technology, high-performance equipment and organization of construction allowed to bring the enterprise to a full capacity and to achieve expected results within three years. On the basis of the experience obtained during design, construction and exploitation of the Mikheevsky mining and processing plant in 2017 the company has started the construction of a new mining and processing plant in the Tominskoye deposit. The first stage anticipates the enterprise production capacity to be equal to 28 mln t with the possibility of its increase up to 56 mln t. The development of porphyry copper deposits in the Urals will allow to provide copper plants with the raw materials over the next 80-100 years.

Kukimbia: the impact of environmental refugees in Southern Africa. A regional perspective on climate-induced migration

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Jacobs-Mata, Inga M

2017-06-01

Full Text Available , managing authorised movements, and controlling irregular flows. 6Geography of research 7Project purpose and aims • This project focuses on the regional, national and sub-national policy landscape and the preparedness of Southern African countries... in the case study areas identified. 3. To develop local adaptive management strategies for environmental refugees in the case study areas identified. 8Project scales Descriptors Global / regional National Sub-national / Local Unit of analysis SADC region...

Material protection control and accounting program activities at the Urals electrochemical integrated plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McAllister, S.

1997-01-01

The Urals Electrochemical Integrated Plant (UEIP) is the Russian Federation's largest uranium enrichment plant and one of three sites in Russia blending high enriched uranium (HEU) into commercial grade low enriched uranium. UEIP is located approximately 70 km north of Yekaterinburg in the closed city of Novouralsk (formerly Sverdlovsk- 44). DOE's MPC ampersand A program first met with UEIP in June of 1996, however because of some contractual issues the work did not start until September of 1997. The six national laboratories participating in DOE's Material Protection Control and Accounting program are cooperating with UEIP to enhance the capabilities of the physical protection, access control, and nuclear material control and accounting systems. The MPC ampersand A work at UEIP is expected to be completed during fiscal year 2001

Southern Federal University as a Center for the Development of Inclusive Education in the Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goryunova L.V.,

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The article provides an overview of best practices for inclusive education in higher educational institutions of the country, in terms of assessing its role in the development of inclusion in the regions. Cluster approach is proposed as the main approach to the development of regional inclusive education. The article describes the experience of organizing inclusive education in the Southern Federal University as a basic educational institution of higher education and as a cluster- forming educational organization that provides learning environment for persons with disabilities at all levels of education. The article also reveals the purpose and objectives of the university in the organization and implementation of quality inclusive education as a key development strategy. We analyze the actual state of inclusive education system at the university, which allows us to identify and describe the main activities of the Southern Federal University that ensure the establishment and development of inclusive education system both within the university and in the Rostov region in general. This also provides the opportunity to describe the current experience that may be incorporated in other institutions of higher education thus ensuring the effectiveness of formation of inclusive education system.

Prerequisites and opportunities for repositioning of the Urals metallurgy within the Industry 4.0

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. A. Romanova

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The authors present the modern trends in the development of metallurgy, and classify the technological structure of metallurgical industry. The article contains specific features of the development of metallurgy in the conditions of industry formation. A special role in this process plays the pace of digitalization and robotization of the industry, the development of additive technologies, Internet of things. The authors substantiate the possibility of developing the metallurgy of the Middle Urals as a science-intensive, high-tech complex that meets the requirements of Industry 4.0. This possibility interrelates with its repositioning, one of the main tasks of which is the formation of new sales markets focused on high-tech consumer industries, as well as the preservation of traditional consumption sectors under conditions of increasing competition in the construction materials market. The authors underline the importance of international cooperation in the field of environmentally safe industrial development, with applying the best available technologies and innovative development in general. The authors propose a methodological approach for assessing the repositioning of the regional metallurgical complex. This approach is the consecutive implementation of the following stages: assessment of dynamics and the forecast of development of consumer steel products sector and its structure based on identified priority areas of technological development of metallurgy in the region; construction of a factor model describing the changes in parameters of the RMC repositioning process, and approximation of the characteristics of their nonlinear elements; building a mathematical model on the basis of neural network algorithms for assessing the process of repositioning the RMC, taking into account projected values of the RMK parameters in the process of repositioning and changing the structure of consumer markets for metal products; formation of a variable

Problems encountered by teenage mothers in the Southern Hho-Hho region of Swaziland

OpenAIRE

Lovegirl S Dlamini; Martie M van der Merwe; Valerie J Ehlers

2003-01-01

A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research approach was followed to study the problems experiencedby teenage mothers in the southern Hho-Hho region of Swaziland. Opsomming ’n Kwalitatiewe, eksploratiewe, beskrywende en kontekstuele navorsingsbenadering is gevolg tydens die studie van probleme wat deur tienermoeders in die suidelike Hho-Hho gebied van Swaziland ondervind is. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full t...

Southern Identity in "Southern Living" Magazine

Science.gov (United States)

Lauder, Tracy

2012-01-01

A fantasy-theme analysis of the editors' letters in "Southern Living" magazine shows an editorial vision of valuing the past and showcasing unique regional qualities. In addition, a content analysis of the visual representation of race in the magazine's formative years and recent past validates that inhabitants of the region were portrayed…

Reemergence of rabies in the southern Han river region, Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Oem, Jae-Ku; Kim, Seong-Hee; Kim, Yeon-Hee; Lee, Myoung-Heon; Lee, Kyoung-Ki

2014-07-01

Recently, 11 cases of animal rabies were reported in the southern region (Suwon and Hwaseong cities) of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The cases were temporally separated into two cases in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in spring 2012 and nine cases in domestic animals and wildlife in winter 2012-13. All carcasses were submitted for histopathologic examination and viral antigen identification. Sequences of the glycoprotein, nucleoprotein, and glycoprotein-large polymerase protein intergenic noncoding loci of the 11 strains were determined and compared with published reference sequences. All rabies strains were closely related to the Gangwon strains isolated in 2008-09, suggesting that the rabies virus strains isolated in Gyeonggi were introduced from Gangwon Province.

Evaluation of the 10th Grade Computerized Mathematics Curriculum from the Perspective of the Teachers and Educational Supervisors in the Southern Region in Jordan

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Tarawneh, Sabri Hassan; Al-Qadi, Haitham Mamdouh

2016-01-01

This study aimed at evaluating the 10th grade computerized mathematics curriculum from the perspective of the teachers and supervisors in the southern region in Jordan. The study population consisted of all the teachers who teach the 10th grade in the southern region, with the total of (309) teachers and (20) supervisors. The sample consisted of…

Problems encountered by teenage mothers in the Southern Hho-Hho region of Swaziland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lovegirl S Dlamini

2003-11-01

Full Text Available A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research approach was followed to study the problems experiencedby teenage mothers in the southern Hho-Hho region of Swaziland. Opsomming ’n Kwalitatiewe, eksploratiewe, beskrywende en kontekstuele navorsingsbenadering is gevolg tydens die studie van probleme wat deur tienermoeders in die suidelike Hho-Hho gebied van Swaziland ondervind is. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

Preliminary assessment of current radiation doses to the population of Brodokalmak from contamination of the Techa River

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabianca, T.; Bexon, A.P.; Pozolotina, V.; Trapeznikov, A.; Simmonds, J.

2000-01-01

Significant quantities of liquid radioactive waste were discharged to the Techa River in the southern Urals region of Russia in the early years of operation of the Mayak PA plant (1948-1951). A collaborative project is underway under contract to the European Commission to consider the radiological impact of radioactive contamination in the Southern Urals. Part of this project involves the calculation of radiation doses currently received by the population of Brodokalmak on the Techa river. The assessment made use of local data on the habits of the population and measurements of radionuclide activity concentrations in food and water. Exposure pathways included in the assessment were ingestion of foods and external exposure to gamma radiation from radionuclides deposited on the banks of the river. A range of doses was calculated for different age groups, firstly, assuming that the restrictions in place are retained and, secondly, assuming that there are no restrictions. These restrictions include bans on drinking river water, fishing and bathing in the river and the prohibition of use of the river and surrounding flood plains by humans and cattle. With restrictions the highest dose estimated was 0.56 mSv y -1 for the most exposed adults and without restrictions this increased to 3.4 mSv y -1

Southern Regional Center for Lightweight Innovative Design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Paul T. [Mississippi State Univ., Mississippi State, MS (United States)

2012-12-01

The Southern Regional Center for Lightweight Innovative Design (SRCLID) has developed an experimentally validated cradle-to-grave modeling and simulation effort to optimize automotive components in order to decrease weight and cost, yet increase performance and safety in crash scenarios. In summary, the three major objectives of this project are accomplished: To develop experimentally validated cradle-to-grave modeling and simulation tools to optimize automotive and truck components for lightweighting materials (aluminum, steel, and Mg alloys and polymer-based composites) with consideration of uncertainty to decrease weight and cost, yet increase the performance and safety in impact scenarios; To develop multiscale computational models that quantify microstructure-property relations by evaluating various length scales, from the atomic through component levels, for each step of the manufacturing process for vehicles; and To develop an integrated K-12 educational program to educate students on lightweighting designs and impact scenarios. In this final report, we divided the content into two parts: the first part contains the development of building blocks for the project, including materials and process models, process-structure-property (PSP) relationship, and experimental validation capabilities; the second part presents the demonstration task for Mg front-end work associated with USAMP projects.

THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A DRIVER OF REGIONAL COOPERATION IN ITS SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURHOOD

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Gabriela Irina ION

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The European Union's policy towards its southern periphery in North Africa and the Middle East has sought to promote regional cooperation both between itself and the Arab partner states and, most importantly, among the Arab states. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and later on, the Union for the Mediterranean introduced, after decades of superficial institutionalization of Euro-Mediterranean relations, an element of novelty in the form of the regionalism it promoted and the multilateral setting it was creating. However outstanding at its debut, this experiment of „building” a Mediterranean region, where security and peaceful change would be brought about by the states' willingness to cooperate through multilateral mechanisms has failed. The EU's efforts to create a Mediterranean region have been stymied not only by what can amount to an unrealistic perception regarding intra-Arab dynamics, but also by changes in the substance of the Euro-Mediterranean institutional setting. Namely, the region-building multilateralism of the EMP has been side-lined by the pragmatic bilateralism of the UfM.

Southern Africa’s Water–Energy Nexus: Towards Regional Integration and Development

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Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Southern African Development Community’s (SADC water and energy sectors are under increasing pressure due to population growth and agricultural and industrial development. Climate change is also negatively impacting on the region’s water and energy resources. As the majority of SADC’s population lives in poverty, regional development and integration are underpinned by water and energy security as the watercourses in the region are transboundary in nature. This paper reviews the region’s water and energy resources and recommends policies based on the water–energy nexus approach. This is achieved by reviewing literature on water and energy resources as well as policy issues. Water resources governance provides a strong case to create a water–energy nexus platform to support regional planning and integration as SADC countries share similar climatic and hydrological conditions. However, there has been a gap between water and energy sector planning in terms of policy alignment and technical convergence. These challenges hinder national policies on delivering economic and social development goals, as well as constraining the regional goal of greater integration. Regional objectives on sustainable energy and access to clean water for all can only be achieved through the recognition of the water–energy nexus, championed in an integrated and sustainable manner. A coordinated regional water–energy nexus approach stimulates economic growth, alleviates poverty and reduces high unemployment rates. The shared nature of water and energy resources requires far more transboundary water–energy nexus studies to be done in the context of regional integration and policy formulation.

Indian Ocean Dipole and El Niño/Southern Oscillation impacts on regional chlorophyll anomalies in the Indian Ocean

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J. C. Currie

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO are independent climate modes, which frequently co-occur, driving significant interannual changes within the Indian Ocean. We use a four-decade hindcast from a coupled biophysical ocean general circulation model, to disentangle patterns of chlorophyll anomalies driven by these two climate modes. Comparisons with remotely sensed records show that the simulation competently reproduces the chlorophyll seasonal cycle, as well as open-ocean anomalies during the 1997/1998 ENSO and IOD event. Results suggest that anomalous surface and euphotic-layer chlorophyll blooms in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean in fall, and southern Bay of Bengal in winter, are primarily related to IOD forcing. A negative influence of IOD on chlorophyll concentrations is shown in a region around the southern tip of India in fall. IOD also depresses depth-integrated chlorophyll in the 5–10° S thermocline ridge region, yet the signal is negligible in surface chlorophyll. The only investigated region where ENSO has a greater influence on chlorophyll than does IOD, is in the Somalia upwelling region, where it causes a decrease in fall and winter chlorophyll by reducing local upwelling winds. Yet unlike most other regions examined, the combined explanatory power of IOD and ENSO in predicting depth-integrated chlorophyll anomalies is relatively low in this region, suggestive that other drivers are important there. We show that the chlorophyll impact of climate indices is frequently asymmetric, with a general tendency for larger positive than negative chlorophyll anomalies. Our results suggest that ENSO and IOD cause significant and predictable regional re-organisation of chlorophyll via their influence on near-surface oceanography. Resolving the details of these effects should improve our understanding, and eventually gain predictability, of interannual changes in Indian Ocean productivity, fisheries

Investigation of ancient DNA from Western Siberia and the Sargat culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Casey C; Kaestle, Frederika A

2010-04-01

Mitochondrial DNA from 14 archaeological samples at the Ural State University in Yekaterinburg, Russia, was extracted to test the feasibility of ancient DNA work on their collection. These samples come from a number of sites that fall into two groupings. Seven samples are from three sites, dating to the 8th-12th century AD, that belong to a northern group of what are thought to be Ugrians, who lived along the Ural Mountains in northwestern Siberia. The remaining seven samples are from two sites that belong to a southern group representing the Sargat culture, dating between roughly the 5th century BC and the 5th century AD, from southwestern Siberia near the Ural Mountains and the present-day Kazakhstan border. The samples are derived from several burial types, including kurgan burials. They also represent a number of different skeletal elements and a range of observed preservation. The northern sites repeatedly failed to amplify after multiple extraction and amplification attempts, but the samples from the southern sites were successfully extracted and amplified. The sequences obtained from the southern sites support the hypothesis that the Sargat culture was a potential zone of intermixture between native Ugrian and/or Siberian populations and steppe peoples from the south, possibly early Iranian or Indo-Iranian, which has been previously suggested by archaeological analysis.

AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF OSTEOPOROTIC FRACTURES IN OLDER RESIDENTS FROM THE MIDDLE URALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. N. Gladkova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The epidemiological characteristics of osteoporotic fractures in Russia have been inadequately studied.Objective: to estimate the incidence rate of osteoporotic fractures in the old age groups of an urban population in the Middle Urals.Subjects and methods. The survey was performed in Pervouralsk, a typical industrial town in the Middle Urals, with a total of 160,860 people, including 54,189 dwellers over 50 years of age (20,746 men and 33,443 women, which amounted to 33.7% of the general population of the town. The survey covered its residents aged 50 years and over who had fractures of the proximal hip (FPH, distal forearm (FDF, distal shin, ribs, or surgical neck of the humerusbetween 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2009. Statistical analysis was made applying the programs Biostatistics, Microsoft Excell 2007, and MedCalc (demo-version. The findings were processed using parametric and nonparametric statistical methods.Results. During two years, 1371 fractures, including FPH, FDF, fractures of the humerus, distal shin, and ribs, were registered in the examined sample of persons aged 50 years and over from Pervouralsk. 383 (27.9% of these fractures occurred in men and 988 (72.1% in women. The incidence rate of all fractures was 1265.0 per 100,000 inhabitants aged 50 years and over (1,477.1 for women and 923.1 for men. FDF were more common in women, the incidence was 787.9 cases per 100,000 population; costal fractures – in men (386.7 per 100,000. The investigation has shown that certain types of fractures are predominant in the oldest age groups. Thus, the incidence rate of FDF and fractures of the distal shin decreases while that of FPH and fractures of the humerus increaseswith age, which is likely to be due to several causes: an age-related decline in bone mass; an increase in the frequency of falls with age; muscle weakness and movement discoordination, which alter the mechanism of fall and increase the risk of femoral and

Beyond the Mediterranean peninsulas: evidence of central European glacial refugia for a temperate forest mammal species, the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus).

Science.gov (United States)

Deffontaine, V; Libois, R; Kotlík, P; Sommer, R; Nieberding, C; Paradis, E; Searle, J B; Michaux, J R

2005-05-01

This study details the phylogeographic pattern of the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, a European rodent species strongly associated with forest habitat. We used sequences of 1011 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene from 207 bank voles collected in 62 localities spread throughout its distribution area. Our results reveal the presence of three Mediterranean (Spanish, Italian and Balkan) and three continental (western, eastern and 'Ural') phylogroups. The endemic Mediterranean phylogroups did not contribute to the post-glacial recolonization of much of the Palaearctic range of species. Instead, the major part of this region was apparently recolonized by bank voles that survived in glacial refugia in central Europe. Moreover, our phylogeographic analyses also reveal differentiated populations of bank voles in the Ural mountains and elsewhere, which carry the mitochondrial DNA of another related vole species, the ruddy vole (Clethrionomys rutilus). In conclusion, this study demonstrates a complex phylogeographic history for a forest species in Europe which is sufficiently adaptable that, facing climate change, survives in relict southern and northern habitats. The high level of genetic diversity characterizing vole populations from parts of central Europe also highlights the importance of such regions as a source of intraspecific genetic biodiversity.

Southern Pine Beetle Information System (SPBIS)

Science.gov (United States)

Valli Peacher

2011-01-01

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is the most destructive forest insect in the South. The SPB attacks all species of southern pine, but loblolly and shortleaf are most susceptible. The Southern Pine Beetle Information System (SPBIS) is the computerized database used by the national forests in the Southern Region for tracking individual southern pine beetle infestations....

Geographic/conceptual delimitation of the «Southern Mediterranean». A Regional Security Complex?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Priego Moreno

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This article seeks to analyse how the Mediterranean Area has evolved after the changes occurred with the so-called Arab Springs. The main idea is to focus on the Southern Mediterranean as a dynamic space that expands itself as a result of its internal transformations and subsequent external changes caused by the Arab Spring. We will use the IR theory of the Regional Security Complex as it is considered as the most adaptable to this changing reality.

Causes of death among full term stillbirths and early neonatal deaths in the Region of Southern Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Basu, Millie; Johnsen, Iben Birgit Gade; Wehberg, Sonja

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE: We examined the causes of death amongst full term stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. METHODS: Our cohort includes women in the Region of Southern Denmark, who gave birth at full term to a stillborn infant or a neonate who died within the first 7 days from 2010 through 2014. Demogra......OBJECTIVE: We examined the causes of death amongst full term stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. METHODS: Our cohort includes women in the Region of Southern Denmark, who gave birth at full term to a stillborn infant or a neonate who died within the first 7 days from 2010 through 2014....... Demographic, biometric and clinical variables were analyzed to assess the causes of death using two classification systems: causes of death and associated conditions (CODAC) and a Danish system based on initial causes of fetal death (INCODE). RESULTS: A total of 95 maternal-infant cases were included. Using...

Detection of damaged areas caused by the oil extraction in a steppe region using winter landsat imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Mjachina, Ksenya; Hu, Zhiyong; Chibilyev, Alexander

2018-01-01

Oil production in a steppe region disturbs the landscape and damages the steppe ecosystem. The objective of this research was to detect areas damaged by oil production in an oil field within the Russian Volga-Ural steppe region using winter Landsat imagery. We developed a practicable and effective approach using winter snow season multispectral Landsat satellite imagery. To this end, we applied seven algorithms of spectral or texture-based transformation: K-means, maximum likelihood estimation, topsoil grain size index, soil brightness, normalized differential snow index, tasselled cap, and co-occurrence measures. The co-occurrence texture measure variance shows the optimal result of identifying damaged areas. The unique feature of our method is that it can differentiate damaged areas from the bare soil of cropland within a cold steppe region where the area damaged by oil production is mixed with bare (fallow) croplands that have a polygonal shape similar to well pads. Such similarities can lead to confusion in object-based classification. Using the co-occurrence measures, we found that from 1988 to 2015, damaged area is nearly three times as big in the peak period of the oil field development (2001 and 2009) as in 1988. Landscape fragmentation also peaked in 2001 and 2009. Our approach for this project is useful and cost effective regular monitoring of damages from oil production for both the Volga-Ural steppe region and other cold steppe regions.

Genetic Structure and Demographic History Reveal Migration of the Diamondback Moth Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) from the Southern to Northern Regions of China

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Shu-Jun; Shi, Bao-Cai; Gong, Ya-Jun; Jin, Gui-Hua; Chen, Xue-Xin; Meng, Xiang-Feng

2013-01-01

The diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) is one of the most destructive insect pests of cruciferous plants worldwide. Biological, ecological and genetic studies have indicated that this moth is migratory in many regions around the world. Although outbreaks of this pest occur annually in China and cause heavy damage, little is known concerning its migration. To better understand its migration pattern, we investigated the population genetic structure and demographic history of the diamondback moth by analyzing 27 geographical populations across China using four mitochondrial genes and nine microsatellite loci. The results showed that high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity occurred in the diamondback moth populations, a finding that is typical for migratory species. No genetic differentiation among all populations and no correlation between genetic and geographical distance were found. However, pairwise analysis of the mitochondrial genes has indicated that populations from the southern region were more differentiated than those from the northern region. Gene flow analysis revealed that the effective number of migrants per generation into populations of the northern region is very high, whereas that into populations of the southern region is quite low. Neutrality testing, mismatch distribution and Bayesian Skyline Plot analyses based on mitochondrial genes all revealed that deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and sudden expansion of the effective population size were present in populations from the northern region but not in those from the southern region. In conclusion, all our analyses strongly demonstrated that the diamondback moth migrates within China from the southern to northern regions with rare effective migration in the reverse direction. Our research provides a successful example of using population genetic approaches to resolve the seasonal migration of insects. PMID:23565158

Local extirpations and regional declines of endemic upper beach invertebrates in southern California

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, D. M.; Dugan, J. E.; Schooler, N. K.; Viola, S. M.

2014-10-01

Along the world's highly valued and populous coastlines, the upper intertidal zones of sandy beach ecosystems and the biodiversity that these zones support are increasingly threatened by impacts of human activities, coastal development, erosion, and climate change. The upper zones of beaches typically support invertebrates with restricted distributions and dispersal, making them particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. We hypothesized that disproportionate loss or degradation of these zones in the last century has resulted in declines of upper shore macroinvertebrates in southern California. We identified a suite of potentially vulnerable endemic upper beach invertebrates with direct development, low dispersal and late reproduction. Based on the availability of printed sources and museum specimens, we investigated historical changes in distribution and abundance of two intertidal isopod species (Tylos punctatus, Alloniscus perconvexus) in southern California. Populations of these isopods have been extirpated at numerous historically occupied sites: T. punctatus from 16 sites (57% decrease), and A. perconvexus from 14 sites (64% decrease). During the same period, we found evidence of only five colonization events. In addition, the northern range limit of the southern species, T. punctatus, moved south by 31 km (8% of range on California mainland) since 1971. Abundances of T. punctatus have declined on the mainland coast; only three recently sampled populations had abundances >7000 individuals m-1. For A. perconvexus populations, abundances >100 individuals m-1 now appear to be limited to the northern part of the study area. Our results show that numerous local extirpations of isopod populations have resulted in regional declines and in greatly reduced population connectivity in several major littoral cells of southern California. Two of the six major littoral cells (Santa Barbara and Zuma) in the area currently support 74% of the remaining isopod

The 2014 assessment of stream quality in the Piedmont and southern Appalachian Mountain region of southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Celeste Journey; Paul M. Bradley; Peter Van Metre

2016-01-01

During the spring and summer of 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water- Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) assessed stream quality across the Piedmont and southern Appalachian Mountain region in the southeastern United States.

Range-edge genetic diversity: locally poor extant southern patches maintain a regionally diverse hotspot in the seagrass Zostera marina.

Science.gov (United States)

Diekmann, Onno E; Serrão, Ester A

2012-04-01

Refugial populations at the rear edge are predicted to contain higher genetic diversity than those resulting from expansion, such as in post-glacial recolonizations. However, peripheral populations are also predicted to have decreased diversity compared to the centre of a species' distribution. We aim to test these predictions by comparing genetic diversity in populations at the limits of distribution of the seagrass Zostera marina, with populations in the species' previously described central diversity 'hotspot'. Zostera marina populations show decreased allelic richness, heterozygosity and genotypic richness in both the 'rear' edge and the 'leading' edge compared to the diversity 'hotspot' in the North Sea/Baltic region. However, when populations are pooled, genetic diversity at the southern range is as high as in the North Sea/Baltic region while the 'leading edge' remains low in genetic diversity. The decreased genetic diversity in these southern Iberian populations compared to more central populations is possibly the effect of drift because of small effective population size, as a result of reduced habitat, low sexual reproduction and low gene flow. However, when considering the whole southern edge of distribution rather than per population, diversity is as high as in the central 'hotspot' in the North Sea/Baltic region. We conclude that diversity patterns assessed per population can mask the real regional richness that is typical of rear edge populations, which have played a key role in the species biogeographical history and as marginal diversity hotspots have very high conservation value. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Climatic changes in the Urals over the past millennium – an analysis of geothermal and meteorological data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Yu. Demezhko

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This investigation is based on a study of two paleoclimatic curves obtained in the Urals (51–59° N, 58–61° E: i a ground surface temperature history (GSTH reconstruction since 800 A.D. and ii meteorological data for the last 170 years. Temperature anomalies measured in 49 boreholes were used for the GSTH reconstruction. It is shown that a traditional averaging of the histories leads to the lowest estimates of amplitude of past temperature fluctuations. The interval estimates method, accounting separately for the rock's thermal diffusivity variations and the influence of a number of non-climatic causes, was used to obtain the average GSTH. Joint analysis of GSTH and meteorological data bring us to the following conclusions. First, ground surface temperatures in the Medieval maximum during 1100–1200 were 0.4 K higher than the 20th century mean temperature (1900–1960. The Little Ice Age cooling was culminated in 1720 when surface mean temperature was 1.6 K below the 20th century mean temperature. Secondly, contemporary warming began approximately one century prior to the first instrumental measurements in the Urals. The rate of warming was +0.25 K/100 years in the 18th century, +1.15 K/100 years in the 19th and +0.75 K/100 years in the first 80 years of the 20th century. Finally, the mean rate of warming increased in the final decades of 20th century. An analysis of linear regression coefficients in running intervals of 21 and 31 years, shows that there were periods of warming with almost the same rates in the past, including the 19th century.

Introduction of Open E-Learning System as a Factor of Regional Development

OpenAIRE

Tatiana Yuryevna Bystrova; Viola Anatoylevna Larionova; Michael Osborne; Anatoly Mikhaylovich Platonov

2015-01-01

The article analyses the economic and socio-cultural premises for introducing the open e-learning in the universities of the Ural region, as well as the potential economic effect of this type of educational activity. The article strives to prove a regular pattern of the universities’ transition to e-learning, also in connection with the changes of the educational paradigm and the nature of the educational system management. The hypothesis of the paper is connected with bringing the economic d...

New Data on Conodonts of the Upper Devonian of the Polar Urals (Ostantsovy Section, Malaya Usa River

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.A. Soboleva

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The main features of the Upper Devonian sediments on the right side of the Ostantsovy Creek (the left tributary of the Malaya Usa River in the eastern part of the Bielsko-Eletskaya structural formational belt on the western slope of the Polar Urals have been considered. The late Frasnian age of these sediments has been determined on the basis of conodonts (the linguiformis zone of the standard conodont scale. The transition from clastic and organic limestones with massive stromatoporoid forms to limestones with fused (reservoir stromatoporoid forms and Palmatolepis biofacies is indicative of the transgressive shift of the linguiformis phase. This transgressive level is an indirect expression of the Upper Kellwasser global event.

The Influence of Edaphic and Orographic Factors on Algal Diversity in Biological Soil Crusts on Bare Spots in the Polar and Subpolar Urals

Science.gov (United States)

Patova, E. N.; Novakovskaya, I. V.; Deneva, S. V.

2018-03-01

The influence of edaphic and orographic factors on the formation of algal diversity in biological soil crusts was studied in mountain tundras of the Polar and Subpolar Urals. Bare spots developed in the soils on different parent materials and overgrown to different extents were investigated. Overall, 221 algal species from six divisions were identified. Among them, eighty-eight taxa were new for the region studied. The Stigonema minutum, S. ocellatum, Nostoc commune, Gloeocapsopsis magma, Scytonema hofmannii, Leptolyngbya foveolarum, Pseudococcomyxa simplex, Sporotetras polydermatica species and species of the Cylindrocystis, Elliptochloris, Fischerella, Leptosira, Leptolyngbya, Myrmecia, Mesotaenium, Phormidium, Schizothrix genera were permanent components of biological soil crusts. The basis of the algal cenoses in soil crusts was composed of cosmopolitan cyanoprokaryotes, multicellular green algae with thickened covers and abundant mucus. The share of nitrogen fixers was high. The physicochemical properties of primary soils forming under the crusts of spots are described. The more important factors affecting the species composition of algae in the crusts are the elevation gradient, temperature, soil moisture, and the contents of Ca, Mg, mobile phosphorus, and total nitrogen.

Low crustal velocities and mantle lithospheric variations in southern Tibet from regional Pnl waveforms

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, Arthur J.; Schwartz, Susan Y.

We report low average crustal P-wave velocities (5.9-6.1 km/s, Poisson's ratio 0.23-0.27, thickness 68-76 km) in southern Tibet from modelling regional Pnl waveforms recorded by the 1991-1992 Tibetan Plateau Experiment. We also find that the mantle lithosphere beneath the Indus-Tsangpo Suture and the Lhasa Terrane is shield-like (Pn velocity 8.20-8.25 km/s, lid thickness 80-140 km, positive velocity gradient 0.0015-0.0025 s-1). Analysis of relative Pn travel time residuals requires a decrease in the mantle velocities beneath the northern Lhasa Terrane, the Banggong-Nujiang Suture and the southern Qiangtang Terrane. Tectonic and petrologic considerations suggest that low bulk crustal velocities could result from a thick (50-60 km) felsic upper crust with vertically limited and laterally pervasive partial melt. These results are consistent with underthrusting of Indian Shield lithosphere beneath the Tibetan Plateau to at least the central Lhasa Terrane.

Soil organic matter composition and quality across fire severity gradients in coniferous and deciduous forests of the southern boreal region

Science.gov (United States)

Jessica R. Miesel; William C. Hockaday; Randy Kolka; Philip A. Townsend

2015-01-01

Recent patterns of prolonged regional drought in southern boreal forests of the Great Lakes region, USA, suggest that the ecological effects of disturbance by wildfire may become increasingly severe. Losses of forest soil organic matter (SOM) during fire can limit soil nutrient availability and forest regeneration. These processes are also influenced by the composition...

Atmospheric deposition of trace elements recorded in snow from the Mt. Nyainqêntanglha region, southern Tibetan Plateau.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jie; Kang, Shichang; Zhang, Qianggong; Guo, Junming; Chen, Pengfei; Zhang, Guoshuai; Tripathee, Lekhendra

2013-08-01

In May 2009, snowpit samples were collected from a high-elevation glacier in the Mt. Nyainqêntanglha region on the southern Tibetan Plateau. A set of elements (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) was analyzed to investigate the concentrations, deposition fluxes of trace elements, and the relative contributions from anthropogenic and natural sources deposited on the southern Tibetan Plateau. Concentrations of most of the trace elements in snowpit samples from the Zhadang glacier are significantly lower than those examined from central Asia (e.g., eastern Tien Shan), with higher concentrations during the non-monsoon season than during the monsoon season. The elements of Al, V, Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni display low crustal enrichment factors (EFs), while Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, and Pb show high EF values in the snow samples, suggesting anthropogenic inputs are potentially important for these elements in the remote, high-elevation atmosphere on the southern Tibetan Plateau. Together with the fact that the concentration levels of such elements in the Mt. Nyainqêntanglha region are significantly higher than those observed on the south edge of the Tibetan Plateau, our results suggest that the high-elevation atmosphere on the southern Tibetan Plateau may be more sensitive to variations in the anthropogenic emissions of atmospheric trace elements than that in the central Himalayas. Moreover, the major difference between deposition fluxes estimated in our snow samples and those recently measured at Nam Co Station for elements such as Cr and Cu may suggest that atmospheric deposition of some of trace elements reconstructed from snowpits and ice cores could be grossly underestimated on the Tibetan Plateau. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Southern Ocean biogeochemical divide.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinov, I; Gnanadesikan, A; Toggweiler, J R; Sarmiento, J L

2006-06-22

Modelling studies have demonstrated that the nutrient and carbon cycles in the Southern Ocean play a central role in setting the air-sea balance of CO(2) and global biological production. Box model studies first pointed out that an increase in nutrient utilization in the high latitudes results in a strong decrease in the atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2). This early research led to two important ideas: high latitude regions are more important in determining atmospheric pCO2 than low latitudes, despite their much smaller area, and nutrient utilization and atmospheric pCO2 are tightly linked. Subsequent general circulation model simulations show that the Southern Ocean is the most important high latitude region in controlling pre-industrial atmospheric CO(2) because it serves as a lid to a larger volume of the deep ocean. Other studies point out the crucial role of the Southern Ocean in the uptake and storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide and in controlling global biological production. Here we probe the system to determine whether certain regions of the Southern Ocean are more critical than others for air-sea CO(2) balance and the biological export production, by increasing surface nutrient drawdown in an ocean general circulation model. We demonstrate that atmospheric CO(2) and global biological export production are controlled by different regions of the Southern Ocean. The air-sea balance of carbon dioxide is controlled mainly by the biological pump and circulation in the Antarctic deep-water formation region, whereas global export production is controlled mainly by the biological pump and circulation in the Subantarctic intermediate and mode water formation region. The existence of this biogeochemical divide separating the Antarctic from the Subantarctic suggests that it may be possible for climate change or human intervention to modify one of these without greatly altering the other.

On the Allotment of Nogai Biys from the Usergen, Kipchak, Burjan and Tamyan Clans with the People, Land, Forests and Waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.I. Akhmetzyanov

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The published charter is written in the Tatar language and was granted by the Russian administration to the Nogai Tatars who entered the service of the Moscow Tsar and received for that lands in the Southern Urals. The charter refers to four Nogai biys from the Usergen, Kipchak, Burjan and Tamyan clans. The charter is preserved in a copy of 1838. The document lists the lands in the Southern Urals that were granted to these four clans. The charter says that “some” of these biys (princes received lands and people, but “some” of them received the status of Tarkhan. According to the authors, the charter was compiled at the turn of the 16th–17th centuries. The charter reflects the beginning of the process of infusion of four Nogai clans into the ethnic state of “Bashkort”.

Образ Севастополя в творчестве советских уральских поэтов

OpenAIRE

Zhuravleva, Nelly Sergeevna

2016-01-01

The paper aims to reveal the characters of Sevastopol created by Soviet Ural poets by using historico-functional, cultural-historical and biographical practices. In one of the first poems written in the 1930s, the city was depicted not only as an outpost of the Southern borders in the Black Sea region but also as a defender of the entire country. This trend continued the pre-revolutionary tradition of Sevastopol’s glorification after the First Defense (1854–1855) during the Crimean War. Sevas...

Renewable Resources: a national catalog of model projects. Volume 3. Southern Solar Energy Center Region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1980-07-01

This compilation of diverse conservation and renewable energy projects across the United States was prepared through the enthusiastic participation of solar and alternate energy groups from every state and region. Compiled and edited by the Center for Renewable Resources, these projects reflect many levels of innovation and technical expertise. In many cases, a critique analysis is presented of how projects performed and of the institutional conditions associated with their success or failure. Some 2000 projects are included in this compilation; most have worked, some have not. Information about all is presented to aid learning from these experiences. The four volumes in this set are arranged in state sections by geographic region, coinciding with the four Regional Solar Energy Centers. The table of contents is organized by project category so that maximum cross-referencing may be obtained. This volume includes information on the Southern Solar Energy Center Region. (WHK)

Substantiation the strategic priorities of innovation regional development security

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Irina Markovna Golova

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In this article are discussed methodological challenges for strategic priorities ensure security innovation regional development. It is shown that in modern conditions innovative safety is an independent and very important area of security of the region. This innovative security should be understood as a qualitative characteristic that gives insight into the regional socio-economic systems requirements and challenges of the innovation economy, including their ability to recombination. It is considered the basic patterns and features of mutual influence and interaction of innovative and traditional socio-economic development of the territories. The necessity of the joint integrated treatment of innovation and socio-economic development in the management of innovative safety of the region is founded. It is given suggestions on fundamental approaches to the solution of the problem of selecting priority areas for strengthening the sources of innovation development successfully tailored to specific territories. The main positions are illustrated in the example the regions of the Ural Federal District.

The Impact of Increasing Fire Frequency on Forest Transformations in the Zabaikal Region, Southern Siberia

Science.gov (United States)

Conard, S. G.; Kukavskaya, E. A.; Buryak, L. V.; Shvetsov, E.; Kalenskaya, O. P.; Zhila, S.

2017-12-01

The Zabaikal region of southern Siberia is characterized by some of the highest fire activity in Russia. There has been a significant increase of fire frequency and burned area in the region over the last two decades due to a combination of high anthropogenic pressure, decreased funding to the forestry sector, and increased fire danger, which was associated with higher frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Central and southern parts of the Zabaikal region where population density is higher and road network is relatively more developed are the most disturbed by fires. Larch stands cover the largest proportion of fire-disturbed lands in the region, while the less common pine and birch stands are characterized by higher fire frequency. About 13% (3.9 M ha) of the total forest area in the Zabaikal region was burned more than once in the 20 years from 1996 to 2015, with many sites burned multiple times. Repeat disturbances led to inadequate tree regeneration on all but the moistest sites. Pine stands on dry soils, which are common in the forest-steppe zone, were the most vulnerable. After repeat burns and over large burned sites we observed transformation of the forests to steppe ecosystems. The most likely causes of insufficient forest regeneration are soil overheating, dominance of tall grasses, and lack of nearby seed sources. Extensive tree plantations have potential to mitigate negative fire impacts; however, due to high fire hazard in the recent decade about half of the plantation area has been burned. Changes in the SWVI index were used to assess postfire reforestation based on a combination of satellite and field data. In the southwestern part of the Zabaikal region, we estimated that reforestation had been hampered over 11% of the forest land area. Regional climate models project increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation across Siberia by the end of the 21st century, with changes in the Zabaikal region projected to be more than twice the

Dynamism of household carbon emissions (HCEs) from rural and urban regions of northern and southern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Maraseni, Tek Narayan; Qu, Jiansheng; Yue, Bian; Zeng, Jingjing; Maroulis, Jerry

2016-10-01

China contributes 23 % of global carbon emissions, of which 26 % originate from the household sector. Due to vast variations in both climatic conditions and the affordability and accessibility of fuels, household carbon emissions (HCEs) differ significantly across China. This study compares HCEs (per person) from urban and rural regions in northern China with their counterparts in southern China. Annual macroeconomic data for the study period 2005 to 2012 were obtained from Chinese government sources, whereas the direct HCEs for different types of fossil fuels were obtained using the IPCC reference approach, and indirect HCEs were calculated by input-output analysis. Results suggest that HCEs from urban areas are higher than those from rural areas. Regardless of the regions, there is a similarity in per person HCEs in urban areas, but the rural areas of northern China had significantly higher HCEs than those from southern China. The reasons for the similarity between urban areas and differences between rural areas and the percentage share of direct and indirect HCEs from different sources are discussed. Similarly, the reasons and solutions to why decarbonising policies are working in urban areas but not in rural areas are discussed.

Pedagogical experiment of the first rector of the Ural state mining institute P.P. Von Weymarn as an effort to reform the higher education institution in 1917-1920

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Н. Г. Валиев

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Based on sources recently discovered and included in the database of scientific publications, the article analyzes the pedagogical activity of the scientist-chemist, the first rector and founder of the Ural Mining Institute in Ekaterinburg Petr Petrovich von Weymarn, whose name is now almost forgotten. The article shows that this activity can be evaluated as a pedagogical experiment on reformation of the higher education institution system, which could have been adopted in Russia if Bolsheviks lost the Civil War. Pedagogical activity of von Weymarn has a theoretical basis that he developed under the influence of Wilhelm Ostwald, the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and the idealist philosopher, as well as the example of the Petrograd (Petersburg Mining Institute, which for von Weymarn was not only an alma mater but an example of a reformist attitudes toward the scientific and pedagogical process in higher education.The article gives a detailed analysis of the currently available philosophical and pedagogical essays of P.P. von Weymarn, known as «Essays on the Energy of Culture», as well as the practical application of these theoretical works on the basis of the Ural Mining Institute in Ekaterinburg and in Vladivostok.With the advent of Soviet power, von Weymarn's pedagogical experiment was forcibly interrupted, and he became «persona non-grata» in the Soviet Union, but now his name is being restored. Unfortunately, he is known either as a chemist or as the founder and first rector of the current Ural State Mining University, but not as a teacher who offered his view of reforming the higher school system. This article fills this gap, revealing not only the work of von Weymarn, but also describing the difficult period of changing the old scientific school system, which could have taken a completely different development path.

Transformation of Young People’s Attitude Toward Work in the Old Industrial Region: Ontogenetic Aspect

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Boris Sergeyevich Pavlov

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The article emphasizes that for the countries facing the crisis of natural reproduction of human resources, the improvement of their quality is the only option for economic growth policy. According to the author’s opinion, the Achilles heel of the modern system of the labor potential reproduction of society (at all its territorial and settlement levels, of the development and the utilization of human resources is a failure in the field of working education for Russian young generations at the stage of general education and professional socialization. Working activity for the developing child’s personality is necessary, irreplaceable attribute of socialization. The article presents the idea that early adult students (students in the later years of high school or the early years of higher education should participate in adequate socially useful work, which should not be limited only to the pedagogic issues. As the young people get older, not only the potential ability to work should grow. The author believes that child labor (and the following working education in modern Russia is reduced to the rank of "outside the pedagogical law". On the basis of statistical data, the author demonstrates that the socio-economic behavior of the overwhelming majority of the early adult students of the Ural region are mainly geard toward a leisurely consumerist lifestyle. In particular, the attention is focused on the development and strengthening of the selfish behavior of students, ignoring the limited financial resources of their parents, sponsoring their studies at the institute of higher education. The particular attention is paid to the issues of the social and settlement assimilation of the young people in the Ural region. It is shown that the village youth learn the deviant subculture of urban youth, which has a significant impact on the process of destabilization of the basis of rural way of life. The findings and suggestions of the article are based

Energy Trade in Southern Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, W F.

1996-01-01

This document deals with possible energy growth in Southern African countries. This region possesses substantial energy resources (including fossil fuels), but because of political instability, government intervention, financial paralysis and lack of adequate transportation infrastructure, this region faces problems in satisfying energy needs. Two key international actions, namely the South African Development Community (SADC) Energy Protocol and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) are expected to enhance energy trade and promote economic development. (TEC)

Diversity and distribution of aquatic insects in Southern Brazil wetlands: implications for biodiversity conservation in a Neotropical region

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Leonardo Maltchik

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The selection of priority areas is an enormous challenge for biodiversity conservation. Some biogeographic methods have been used to identify the priority areas to conservation, and panbiogeography is one of them. This study aimed at the utilization of panbiogeographic tools, to identify the distribution patterns of aquatic insect genera, in wetland systems of an extensive area in the Neotropical region (~280 000km², and to compare the distribution of the biogeographic units identified by the aquatic insects, with the conservation units of Southern Brazil. We analyzed the distribution pattern of 82 genera distributed in four orders of aquatic insects (Diptera, Odonata, Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera in Southern Brazil wetlands. Therefore, 32 biogeographic nodes corresponded to the priority areas for conservation of the aquatic insect diversity. Among this total, 13 were located in the Atlantic Rainforest, 16 in the Pampa and three amongst both biomes. The distribution of nodes showed that only 15% of the dispersion centers of insects were inserted in conservation units. The four priority areas pointed by node cluster criterion must be considered in further inclusions of areas for biodiversity conservation in Southern Brazil wetlands, since such areas present species from differrent ancestral biota. The inclusion of such areas into the conservation units would be a strong way to conserve the aquatic biodiversity in this region.

Diversity and distribution of aquatic insects in Southern Brazil wetlands: implications for biodiversity conservation in a Neotropical region.

Science.gov (United States)

Maltchik, Leonardo; Dalzochio, Marina Schmidt; Stenert, Cristina; Rolon, Ana Silvia

2012-03-01

The selection of priority areas is an enormous challenge for biodiversity conservation. Some biogeographic methods have been used to identify the priority areas to conservation, and panbiogeography is one of them. This study aimed at the utilization of panbiogeographic tools, to identify the distribution patterns of aquatic insect genera, in wetland systems of an extensive area in the Neotropical region (approximately 280 000km2), and to compare the distribution of the biogeographic units identified by the aquatic insects, with the conservation units of Southern Brazil. We analyzed the distribution pattern of 82 genera distributed in four orders of aquatic insects (Diptera, Odonata, Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera) in Southern Brazil wetlands. Therefore, 32 biogeographic nodes corresponded to the priority areas for conservation of the aquatic insect diversity. Among this total, 13 were located in the Atlantic Rainforest, 16 in the Pampa and three amongst both biomes. The distribution of nodes showed that only 15% of the dispersion centers of insects were inserted in conservation units. The four priority areas pointed by node cluster criterion must be considered in further inclusions of areas for biodiversity conservation in Southern Brazil wetlands, since such areas present species from different ancestral biota. The inclusion of such areas into the conservation units would be a strong way to conserve the aquatic biodiversity in this region.

A regional benthic fauna assessment method for the Southern North Sea using Margalef diversity and reference value modelling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loon, van Willem M.G.M.; Walvoort, Dennis J.J.; Hoey, van Gert; Vina-Herbon, Christina; Blandon, Abigayil; Pesch, Roland; Schmitt, Petra; Scholle, Jörg; Heyer, Karin; Lavaleye, Marc; Phillips, Graham; Duineveld, Gerard C.A.; Blomqvist, Mats

2018-01-01

The aims of this study are to develop an optimized method for regional benthic fauna assessment of the Southern North Sea which (a) is sensitive and precise (quantified as the slope and the R2 value of the pressure-impact relationships, respectively) for the anthropogenic pressures bottom fishing

Curie Depth Analysis of the Salton Sea Region, Southern California

Science.gov (United States)

Mickus, Kevin; Hussein, Musa

2016-02-01

Aeromagnetic data were analyzed to determine the bottom of magnetic bodies that might be related to the Curie point depth (CPD) by 2D spectral and 3D inversion methods within the Salton Trough and the surrounding region in southern California. The bottom of the magnetic bodies for 55 × 55 km windows varied in depth between 11 and 23 km in depth using 2D spectral methods. Since the 55 × 55 km square window may include both shallow and deep source, a 3D inversion method was used to provide better resolution of the bottom of the magnetic bodies. The 3D models indicate the depth to the bottom of the magnetic bodies varied between 5 and 23 km. Even though both methods produced similar results, the 3D inversion method produced higher resolution of the CPD depths. The shallowest depths (5-8 km) occur along and west of the Brawley Seismic Zone and the southwestern portion of the Imperial Valley. The source of these shallow CPD values may be related to geothermal systems including hydrothermal circulation and/or partially molten material. Additionally, shallow CPD depths (7-12 km) were found in a northwest-trending zone in the center of the Salton Trough. These depths coincide with previous seismic analyses that indicated a lower crustal low velocity region which is believed to be caused by partially molten material. Lower velocity zones in several regions may be related to fracturing and/or hydrothermal fluids. If the majority of these shallow depths are related to temperature, they are likely associated with the CPD, and the partially molten material extends over a wider zone than previously known. Greater depths within the Salton Trough coincide with the base of basaltic material and/or regions of intense metamorphism intruded by mafic material in the middle/lower crust.

Evaluating terrestrial water storage variations from regionally constrained GRACE mascon data and hydrological models over Southern Africa – Preliminary results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krogh, Pernille Engelbredt; Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Michailovsky, Claire Irene B.

2010-01-01

). In this paper we explore an experimental set of regionally constrained mascon blocks over Southern Africa where a system of 1.25° × 1.5° and 1.5° × 1.5° blocks has been designed. The blocks are divided into hydrological regions based on drainage patterns of the largest river basins, and are constrained...... Malawi with water level from altimetry. Results show that weak constraints across regions in addition to intra-regional constraints are necessary, to reach reasonable mass variations....

Bulgar Factories (Trading Posts) in the Kama River Area as a Factor of Adjustment to Feudalism

Science.gov (United States)

Krylasova, Natalia B.; Belavin, Andrei M.; Podosenova, Yulia A.

2016-01-01

At the start of the 2nd ML AD a number of trading posts, or factories, emerged in the Cis-Ural region with participation of Bulgar handicraftsmen and merchants. They were townships populated by various ethnic groups. Several centuries later similar factories were set up by natives of the Cis-Ural region in Western Siberia. These factories have…

[Characteristics of soil phosphorous loss under different ecological planting patterns in hilly red soil regions of southern Hunan Province, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Min; Wen, Shi-Lin; Xu, Ming-Gang; Dong, Chun-Hua; Qin, Lin; Zhang, Lu

2013-11-01

Taking a large standard runoff plot on a red soil slope in Qiyang County, southern Hunan Province as a case, this paper studied the surface soil phosphorus loss characteristics in the hilly red soil regions of southern Hunan under eight ecological planting patterns. The phosphorus loss from wasteland (T1) was most serious, followed by that from natural sloped cropping patterns (T2 and T3), while the phosphorus loss amount from terrace cropping patterns (T4-T8) was the least, only occupying 9.9%, 37%, 0.7%, 2.3%, and 1.9% of T1, respectively. The ecological planting patterns directly affected the forms of surface-lost soil phosphorus, with the particulate phosphorus (PP) as the main lost form. Under the condition of rainstorm (daily rainfall > 50 mm), rainfall had lesser effects on the phosphorus loss among different planting patterns. However, the phosphorus loss increased with increasing rain intensity. The surface soil phosphorus loss mainly occurred from June to September. Both the rainfall and the rain intensity were the factors directly affected the time distribution of surface soil phosphorus loss in hilly red soil regions of southern Hunan.

RUSSIAN SOURCES OF THE XVIII–XIX CENTURIES ABOUT THE CONFLICTS IN THE KAZAKH STEPPE AND THE INVOLVEMENT AND PARTICIPATION OF THE URAL COSSACKS

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Alexander Maratovich Dubovikov

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of this article is to show the complexity and ambiguity of relations between Kazakhs and Russian military (primarily Cossacks during the advance of Russia in the Kazakh steppe and Central Asia, as well as a reflection of this problem in different sources. Methodology. In the course of the work, we have used diverse sources that shed light on this issue. Among them, documents of XVIII–XIX centuries, mainly from the State archive of Orenburg region (GAOO, as well as from the military historical archive (RGVIA. Used the documents collected by the Lieutenant of the General staff, A.D. Ryabinin, the importance of which is associated with the fact that the archive of the Ural Cossack troops lost during the civil war. Not less important are two major works of officers, military historians and theorists M.I. Iva­nin and M.A. Terentyev directly involved in the campaigns through the Kazakh steppe and the annexation of Central Asia. To a lesser extent the materials used other “sources” of the XIX century the Ural Cossack officers I.I. Zheleznov, N.G. Makushin, and also serving at the Orenburg military Governor V. I. Dahl. An important source is and “Uralskiye voiskoviye vedomostie” – the only newspaper published in the Ural Cossack army in the last third of the XIX century. Results. All these sources allow us to draw some important conclusions. They clearly indicate that the South-Eastern outskirts of Russia was long subjected to raids “nomads”, and it has developed most of the border of the Cossack population sustained hostility to the nomadic neighbors. The hostility persisted for a long time, but during the nineteenth century it was gradually decreasing due to the socio-political and economic changes in parallel decreased and the number of conflicts. The Russian military sometimes showed excessive cruelty, and their commanders, carrying out orders from above, was not always true in the Kazakh population. But it was

The water masses and volumetry of the southern Agulhas Current region

Science.gov (United States)

Valentine, H. R.; Lutjeharms, J. R. E.; Brundrit, G. B.

1993-06-01

It has been suggested that the southern termination of the Agulhas Current plays a crucial role in the global circulation of thermocline water and thus in global climate. Due to a lack of modern hydrographic observations in this region, no detailed description of water masses or a fine-scale volumetric census for this geographic area had been carried out. Such an analysis of a collection of recent high-quality hydrographic measurements shows that the warm, saline, surface water of Agulhas Current origin contributes very little to the overall volume of the upper 1500 m of the water column in the area. Occasional equatorward leakages from south of the Subtropical Convergence are represented by a range of low-salinity outliers, but they represent <1% of the total volume. The distribution of water volume in temperature/salinity space for the Agulhas Retroflection is less diverse that that of the world ocean as a whole, 25% of the total volume of the region being contained in only 21 fine-scale temperature/salinity classes. North Atlantic Deep Water is the dominant water mass, accounting for 40% of the total volume. Deep Water in general accounts for 60% of the total volume.

Protists in the polar regions: comparing occurrence in the Arctic and Southern oceans using pyrosequencing

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Christian Wolf

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In the ongoing discussion of the distribution of protists, whether they are globally distributed or endemic to one or both of the polar regions is the subject of heated debate. In this study, we compared next-generation sequencing data from the Arctic and the Southern oceans to reveal the extent of similarities and dissimilarities between the protist communities in the polar regions. We found a total overlap of operational taxonomic units (OTUs between the two regions of 11.2%. On closer inspection of different taxonomic groups, the overlap ranged between 5.5% (haptophytes and 14.5% (alveolates. Within the different groups, the proportion of OTUs occurring in both regions greatly differed between the polar regions. On the one hand, the overlap between these two regions is remarkable, given the geographical distance between them. On the other hand, one could expect a greater overlap of OTUs between these regions on account of the similar environmental conditions. The overlap suggests a connection between the polar regions for at least certain species or that the evolutionary divergence has been slow, relative to the timescales of isolation. The different proportions of common OTUs among the groups or regions may be a result of different life cycle strategies or environmental adaptations.

Setting the agenda in emergency medicine in the southern African region: Conference assumptions and recommendations, Emergency Medicine Conference 2014: Gaborone, Botswana

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Lloyd D. Christopher

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The first international emergency medicine (EM conference in Botswana was held on 15th and 16th May 2014 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre. The support from key stakeholders positioned the conference, from its conception, to deliver expert guidance on emergency medicine relevance, education and systems implementation. The conference theme was aptly: “Setting the Agenda in Emergency Medicine in the Southern African Region.” Over 300 local, regional and international delegates convened to participate in this landmark event. Country representation included Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Nigeria and the United States of America. Conference assumptions intersected emergency care, African burden of injury and illness and the role of the state; the public protection ethic of emergency care, and the developmental, economic and health interest in promoting EM. The recommendations addressed emergency care relevance; health systems research as an imperative for emergency systems development in southern Africa; community agency as a requisite for emergency care resilience; emergency care workers as pivotal to the emergency medical system, and support of EM system implementation. The conference recommendations – by way of setting an agenda, augur well for emergency care development and implementation in the southern African region and are likely to prove useful to the southern African countries seeking to address health service quality, EM advocacy support and implementation guidance. Emergency medicine is the only discipline with ‘universality’ and ‘responsivity’ at the point of need. This implies the widespread potential for facilitation of access to health care: a public health goal nuanced by the African development agenda.

Presence of Toxoplasma gondii in Drinking Water from an Endemic Region in Southern Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez-Cortazar, Ivonne B; Acosta-Viana, Karla Y; Guzman-Marin, Eugenia; Ortega-Pacheco, Antonio; Segura-Correa, Jose C; Jimenez-Coello, Matilde

2017-05-01

Toxoplasmosis can be acquired through the ingestion of contaminated drinking water with oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii, highly resistant to the routinely disinfection processes; based on chlorination commonly used in the water supply industry. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of T. gondii DNA in samples of public drinking water from an endemic region of southern Mexico. In total 74 samples of water (5 L each) were collected from the three well fields (I, II, and III) and 71 independent wells, distributing public drinking water to the city of Merida Yucatan, after passing through the chlorination process. Water samples were filtered and concentrated by a sucrose solution, then DNA was extracted and evaluated through a nested-PCR (nPCR) specific for T. gondii. Positive samples were detected in 5.4% (4/74) of the water samples. This is the first report of the presence of T. gondii DNA in public drinking water from a large city in southern Mexico, where their consumption without any postpurification treatment could pose a risk for acquiring the infection in the urban population.

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) file of topographic elevations for the Death Valley region of southern Nevada and southeastern California processed from US Geological Survey 1-degree Digital Elevation Model data files

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, A.K.; D'Agnese, F.A.; Faunt, C.C.

1996-01-01

Elevation data have been compiled into a digital data base for an ∼100,000-km 2 area of the southern Great Basin, the Death Valley region of southern Nevada, and SE Calif., located between lat 35 degree N, long 115 degree W, and lat 38 degree N, long 118 degree W. This region includes the Nevada Test Site, Yucca Mountain, and adjacent parts of southern Nevada and eastern California and encompasses the Death Valley regional ground-water system. Because digital maps are often useful for applications other than that for which they were originally intended, and because the area corresponds to a region under continuing investigation by several groups, these digital files are being released by USGS

Migration waves to the Baltic Sea region.

Science.gov (United States)

Lappalainen, T; Laitinen, V; Salmela, E; Andersen, P; Huoponen, K; Savontaus, M-L; Lahermo, P

2008-05-01

In this study, the population history of the Baltic Sea region, known to be affected by a variety of migrations and genetic barriers, was analyzed using both mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosomal data. Over 1200 samples from Finland, Sweden, Karelia, Estonia, Setoland, Latvia and Lithuania were genotyped for 18 Y-chromosomal biallelic polymorphisms and 9 STRs, in addition to analyzing 17 coding region polymorphisms and the HVS1 region from the mtDNA. It was shown that the populations surrounding the Baltic Sea are genetically similar, which suggests that it has been an important route not only for cultural transmission but also for population migration. However, many of the migrations affecting the area from Central Europe, the Volga-Ural region and from Slavic populations have had a quantitatively different impact on the populations, and, furthermore, the effects of genetic drift have increased the differences between populations especially in the north. The possible explanations for the high frequencies of several haplogroups with an origin in the Iberian refugia (H1, U5b, I1a) are also discussed.

A methodology for assessing annual risk of southern pine beetle outbreaks across the southern region using pheromone traps

Science.gov (United States)

Ronald F Billings; William W. Upton

2010-01-01

An operational system to forecast infestation trends (increasing, static, declining) and relative population levels (high, moderate, low) of the southern pine beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis, has been implemented in the Southern and Eastern United States. Numbers of dispersing SPB and those of a major predator (the clerid beetle, ...

Mixed precipitation occurrences over southern Québec, Canada, under warmer climate conditions using a regional climate model

Science.gov (United States)

Matte, Dominic; Thériault, Julie M.; Laprise, René

2018-05-01

Winter weather events with temperatures near 0°C are often associated with freezing rain. They can have major impacts on the society by causing power outages and disruptions to the transportation networks. Despite the catastrophic consequences of freezing rain, very few studies have investigated how their occurrences could evolve under climate change. This study aims to investigate the change of freezing rain and ice pellets over southern Québec using regional climate modeling at high resolution. The fifth-generation Canadian Regional Climate Model with climate scenario RCP 8.5 at 0.11° grid mesh was used. The precipitation types such as freezing rain, ice pellets or their combination are diagnosed using five methods (Cantin and Bachand, Bourgouin, Ramer, Czys and, Baldwin). The occurrences of the diagnosed precipitation types for the recent past (1980-2009) are found to be comparable to observations. The projections for the future scenario (2070-2099) suggested a general decrease in the occurrences of mixed precipitation over southern Québec from October to April. This is mainly due to a decrease in long-duration events (≥6 h ). Overall, this study contributes to better understand how the distribution of freezing rain and ice pellets might change in the future using high-resolution regional climate model.

Erythromycin residue in honey from the Southern Marmara region of Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunes, Nazmiye; Cibik, Recep; Gunes, Mesut Ertan; Aydin, Levent

2008-11-01

Honey samples, collected from the Southern Marmara region of Turkey, were analysed for erythromycin residues by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode (LC-ESI-MS). Fifty samples, comprising chestnut, pine, linden and multi-flower honeys, were collected directly from hives and analyzed. The limit of detection and quantification were 6 and 20 ng g(-1), respectively, and recovery ranged from 85 to 89%. Four of the honey samples (8%) were found to be contaminated with erythromycin residues at concentrations ranging from 50 to 1776 ng g(-1). An erythromycin-fortified cake feeding assay was also performed in a defined hive to test the transfer of erythromycin residue to the honey matrix. In this test hive, the residue level in the honey, 3 months after dosing, was approximately 28 ng g(-1).

Chromitites of the Akkarginskiy massif (the Southern Urals

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D. E. Saveliev

2018-03-01

Full Text Available We consider the geological features of ultramafic rock and chrome ore deposits. It is shown that all studied deposits are podiform in morphology that is typical for the ophiolite ultramafic rocks. Morphological and chemical features of the accessory and oreforming spinels are described. Accessory chrome spinels from ultramafic rocks are middle-Cr and high-Cr in chemistry (>42% Cr2O3. All studied ore-forming chrome spinels from deposits in the Main Ore Zone are high-Cr (54–63% Cr2O3. Some middle-Cr oreforming spinels were found in deposit of the East Ore Zone (48% Cr2O3. We adduce a proof of the tectonic origin of present-day structure of the Akkarginskiy massif and its chrome ore deposits.

PALEOMAGNETISM OF SILURIAN AND DEVONIAN VOLCANICS FROM THE CHINGIZ ISLAND ARC, KAZAKHSTAN, AND ITS BEARING ON TECTONIC EVOLUTION OF THE URAL-MONGOL BELT

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Natalia M. Levashova

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The tectonic and paleogeographic evolution of the Ural-Mongol belt between the cratons of Baltica, Siberia, and Tarim is the key to the formation of the Eurasian supercontinent during Paleozoic time, but the views on this complicated process remain very disparate and sometimes controversial. Three volcanic formations of the Middle Silurian, LowertoMiddle Devonian and Middle Devonian age from the southwestern boundary of the Chingiz Range (NE Kazakhstan yields what are interpreted as primary paleomagnetic directions that help clarify the evolution of the belt. A singlepolarity characteristic component in midSilurian andesites yields a positive intraformational conglomerate test, whereas dualpolarity prefolding components are isolated from the two Devonian collections. These new data were evaluated together with previously published paleomagnetic results from Paleozoic rocks in the Chingiz Range, and allow us to establish with confidence the hemisphere in which the area was located at a given time. We conclude that NE Kazakhstan was steadily moving northward crossing the equator in Silurian time. These new paleomagnetic data from the Chingiz range also agree with and reinforce the hypothesis that the strongly curved volcanic belts of Kazakhstan underwent oroclinal bending between Middle Devonian and Late Carboniferous time. A comparison of the Chingiz paleolatitudes with those of Siberia shows similarities between the northward motion and rotational history of the Chingiz unit and those of Siberia, which imposes important constraints on the evolving paleogeography of the Ural-Mongol belt.

Predictors of Academic Success for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and the Southern Regional Testing Agency Clinical Exam

Science.gov (United States)

Efurd, Melissa G.

2012-01-01

The purpose for conducting this study was to investigate and describe the relationship between applicant criteria for a dental hygiene program and subsequent outcomes on credentialing exams: the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam and the Southern Regional Testing Agency clinical exam. Because admission criteria play a crucial role in applicant…

Assessment of undiscovered resources in calcrete uranium deposits, Southern High Plains region of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Susan M.; Mihalasky, Mark J.; Van Gosen, Bradley S.

2017-11-14

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates a mean of 40 million pounds of in-place uranium oxide (U3O8) remaining as potential undiscovered resources in the Southern High Plains region of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. This estimate used a geology-based assessment method specific to calcrete uranium deposits.

Future climate change over Southern Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Davis, Claire L

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This chapter presents key messages drawn from recent subsets of future climate projections for the southern Africa region. Material in this chapter is drawn from Chapter 3 of Climate Risk and Vulnerability: A Handbook for Southern Africa (Davis 2011...

Principal facts for gravity data collected in the southern Albuquerque Basin area and a regional compilation, central New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Cindy L.; Grauch, V.J.S.; Oshetski, Kim; Keller, Gordon R.

2000-01-01

Principal facts for 156 new gravity stations in the southern Albuquerque basin are presented. These data fill a gap in existing data coverage. The compilation of the new data and two existing data sets into a regional data set of 5562 stations that cover the Albuquerque basin and vicinity is also described. Bouguer anomaly and isostatic residual gravity data for this regional compilation are available in digital form from ftp://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/openfile- reports/ofr-00-490.

Intestinal spirochaetes (genus Brachyspira) colonise wild birds in the southern Atlantic region and Antarctica.

Science.gov (United States)

Jansson, Désirée S; Mushtaq, Memoona; Johansson, Karl-Erik; Bonnedahl, Jonas; Waldenström, Jonas; Andersson, Dan I; Broman, Tina; Berg, Charlotte; Olsen, Björn

2015-01-01

The genus Brachyspira contains well-known enteric pathogens of veterinary significance, suggested agents of colonic disease in humans, and one potentially zoonotic agent. There are recent studies showing that Brachyspira are more widespread in the wildlife community than previously thought. There are no records of this genus in wildlife from the southern Atlantic region and Antarctica. Our aim was therefore, to determine whether intestinal spirochaetes of genus Brachyspira colonise marine and coastal birds in this region. Faecal samples were collected from marine and coastal birds in the southern Atlantic region, including sub-Antarctic islands and Antarctica, in 2002, 2009, and 2012, with the aim to isolate and characterise zoonotic agents. In total, 205 samples from 11 bird species were selectively cultured for intestinal spirochaetes of genus Brachyspira. To identify isolates to species level, they were subjected to phenotyping, species-specific polymerase chain reactions, sequencing of partial 16S rRNA, NADH oxidase (nox), and tlyA genes, and phylogenetic analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed. Fourteen unique strains were obtained from 10 birds of three species: four snowy sheathbills (Chionis albus), three kelp geese (Chloephaga hybrida subsp. malvinarum), and three brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus subsp. lonnbergi) sampled on the Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, South Georgia, South Shetland Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Five Brachyspira strains were closely related to potentially enteropathogenic Brachyspira sp. of chickens: B. intermedia (n=2, from snowy sheathbills), and B. alvinipulli (n=3, from a kelp goose and two snowy sheathbills). Three strains from kelp geese were most similar to the presumed non-pathogenic species 'B. pulli' and B. murdochii, whereas the remaining six strains could not be attributed to currently known species. No isolates related to human strains were found. None of the tested

Intestinal spirochaetes (genus Brachyspira colonise wild birds in the southern Atlantic region and Antarctica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Désirée S. Jansson

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The genus Brachyspira contains well-known enteric pathogens of veterinary significance, suggested agents of colonic disease in humans, and one potentially zoonotic agent. There are recent studies showing that Brachyspira are more widespread in the wildlife community than previously thought. There are no records of this genus in wildlife from the southern Atlantic region and Antarctica. Our aim was therefore, to determine whether intestinal spirochaetes of genus Brachyspira colonise marine and coastal birds in this region. Method: Faecal samples were collected from marine and coastal birds in the southern Atlantic region, including sub-Antarctic islands and Antarctica, in 2002, 2009, and 2012, with the aim to isolate and characterise zoonotic agents. In total, 205 samples from 11 bird species were selectively cultured for intestinal spirochaetes of genus Brachyspira. To identify isolates to species level, they were subjected to phenotyping, species-specific polymerase chain reactions, sequencing of partial 16S rRNA, NADH oxidase (nox, and tlyA genes, and phylogenetic analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed. Results: Fourteen unique strains were obtained from 10 birds of three species: four snowy sheathbills (Chionis albus, three kelp geese (Chloephaga hybrida subsp. malvinarum, and three brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus subsp. lonnbergi sampled on the Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, South Georgia, South Shetland Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Five Brachyspira strains were closely related to potentially enteropathogenic Brachyspira sp. of chickens: B. intermedia (n=2, from snowy sheathbills, and B. alvinipulli (n=3, from a kelp goose and two snowy sheathbills. Three strains from kelp geese were most similar to the presumed non-pathogenic species ‘B. pulli’ and B. murdochii, whereas the remaining six strains could not be attributed to currently known species. No isolates related to

Coal and energy: a southern perspective. Regional characterization report for the National Coal Utilization Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boercker, F. D.; Davis, R. M.; Goff, F. G.; Olson, J. S.; Parzyck, D. C.

1977-08-01

This publication is the first of several reports to be produced for the National Coal Utilization Assessment, a program sponsored by the Assistant Administrator for Environment and Safety through the Division of Technology Overview of ERDA. The purpose of the report is to present the state and regional perspective on energy-related issues, especially those concerning coal production and utilization for 12 southern states. This report compiles information on the present status of: (1) state government infrastructure that deals with energy problems; (2) the balance between energy consumption and energy production; (3) the distribution of proved reserves of various mineral energy resources; (4) the major characteristics of the population; (5) the important features of the environment; and (6) the major constraints to increased coal production and utilization as perceived by the states and regional agencies. Many energy-related characteristics described vary significantly from state to state within the region. Regional and national generalizations obscure these important local variations. The report provides the state and regional perspective on energy issues so that these issues may be considered objectively and incorporated into the National Coal Utilization Assessment. This Assessment is designed to provide useful outputs for national, regional, and local energy planners.

Quaternary paleoecology of aquatic Diptera in tropical and Southern Hemisphere regions, with special reference to the Chironomidae

Science.gov (United States)

Verschuren, Dirk; Eggermont, Hilde

2006-08-01

Chironomid paleoecology in north-temperate regions has made tremendous progress over the past decade, but studies in tropical and Southern Hemisphere regions remain relatively scarce. Reasons for this imbalance are (1) incomplete taxonomic knowledge of chironomid faunas outside Europe and North America, (2) a scarcity of ecological data on local species and genera that might confer bio-indicator value to them, and (3) logistic difficulties hampering the lake surveying necessary to develop paleoenvironmental calibration data sets. Thus far, most chironomid paleoecology in tropical and Southern Hemisphere regions has relied on an indicator-species approach, combining autecological information on local species of which larval morphology is known with the traditional ecological typology of chironomid genera transferred from the Holarctic region. This paper reviews work accomplished to date in tropical and temperate South America, Australia, Africa, and New Zealand, including studies on various families of non-chironomid Diptera with diagnostic fossils. Research has focused mostly on late-Glacial and Holocene climate reconstruction, less on tracing past human disturbance of aquatic ecosystems and their drainage basins. Quantitative chironomid-based paleoenvironmental reconstruction has so far been done only in Australia and Africa. These studies compensated for the lack of traditional surface-sediment calibration data sets, nowadays often the main source of quantitative information on species ecological optima and tolerances, by maximally exploiting archival species-distribution data based on live collections of adult and/or larval midges. This stimulated efforts to achieve trustworthy species-level identification of fossil chironomid remains, and, as a result, the taxonomic resolution of paleoecological studies in Australia and Africa is higher on average than that achieved in European and North American studies.

Cross-scale analysis of the region effect on vascular plant species diversity in southern and northern European mountain ranges.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Lenoir

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The divergent glacial histories of southern and northern Europe affect present-day species diversity at coarse-grained scales in these two regions, but do these effects also penetrate to the more fine-grained scales of local communities? METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We carried out a cross-scale analysis to address this question for vascular plants in two mountain regions, the Alps in southern Europe and the Scandes in northern Europe, using environmentally paired vegetation plots in the two regions (n = 403 in each region to quantify four diversity components: (i total number of species occurring in a region (total γ-diversity, (ii number of species that could occur in a target plot after environmental filtering (habitat-specific γ-diversity, (iii pair-wise species compositional turnover between plots (plot-to-plot β-diversity and (iv number of species present per plot (plot α-diversity. We found strong region effects on total γ-diversity, habitat-specific γ-diversity and plot-to-plot β-diversity, with a greater diversity in the Alps even towards distances smaller than 50 m between plots. In contrast, there was a slightly greater plot α-diversity in the Scandes, but with a tendency towards contrasting region effects on high and low soil-acidity plots. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that there are strong regional differences between coarse-grained (landscape- to regional-scale diversity components of the flora in the Alps and the Scandes mountain ranges, but that these differences do not necessarily penetrate to the finest-grained (plot-scale diversity component, at least not on acidic soils. Our findings are consistent with the contrasting regional Quaternary histories, but we also consider alternative explanatory models. Notably, ecological sorting and habitat connectivity may play a role in the unexpected limited or reversed region effect on plot α-diversity, and may also affect the larger-scale diversity

Mesopause region temperature variability and its trend in southern Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Venturini, Mateus S.; Bageston, José V.; Caetano, Nattan R.; Peres, Lucas V.; Bencherif, Hassan; Schuch, Nelson J.

2018-03-01

Nowadays, the study of the upper atmosphere is increasing, mostly because of the need to understand the patterns of Earth's atmosphere. Since studies on global warming have become very important for the development of new technologies, understanding all regions of the atmosphere becomes an unavoidable task. In this paper, we aim to analyze the temperature variability and its trend in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region during a period of 12 years (from 2003 to 2014). For this purpose, three different heights, i.e., 85, 90 and 95 km, were focused on in order to investigate the upper atmosphere, and a geographic region different to other studies was chosen, in the southern region of Brazil, centered in the city of Santa Maria, RS (29°41'02'' S; 53°48'25'' W). In order to reach the objectives of this work, temperature data from the SABER instrument (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry), aboard NASA's Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics Dynamics (TIMED) satellite, were used. Finally, two cases were studied related to distinct grids of latitude/longitude used to obtain the mean temperature profiles. The first case considered a grid of 20° × 20° lat/long, centered in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. In the second case, the region was reduced to a size of 15° × 15° in order to compare the results and discuss the two cases in terms of differences or similarities in temperature trends. Observations show that the size of the geographical area used for the average temperature profiles can influence the results of variability and trend of the temperature. In addition, reducing the time duration of analyses from 24 to 12 h a day also influences the trend significantly. For the smaller geographical region (15° × 15°) and the 12 h daily time window (09:00-21:00 UT) it was found that the main contributions for the temperature variability at the three heights were the annual and semi-annual cycles and the solar flux influence

Sensitivity to Regional Earthquake Triggering and Magnitude-Frequency Characteristics of Microseismicity Detected via Matched-Filter Analysis, Central Southern Alps, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Boese, C. M.; Townend, J.; Chamberlain, C. J.; Warren-Smith, E.

2016-12-01

Microseismicity recorded since 2008 by the Southern Alps Microseismicity Borehole Array (SAMBA) and other predominantly short-period seismic networks deployed in the central Southern Alps, New Zealand, reveals distinctive patterns of triggering in response to regional seismicity (magnitudes larger than 5, epicentral distances of 100-500 km). Using matched-filter detection methods implemented in the EQcorrscan package (Chamberlain et al., in prep.), we analyze microseismicity occurring in several geographically distinct swarms in order to examine the responses of specific microearthquake sources to earthquakes of different sizes occurring at different distances and azimuths. The swarms exhibit complex responses to regional seismicity which reveal that microearthquake triggering in these cases involves a combination of extrinsic factors (related to the dynamic stresses produced by the regional earthquake) and intrinsic factors (controlled by the local state of stress and possibly by hydrogeological processes). We find also that the microearthquakes detected by individual templates have Gutenberg-Richter magnitude-frequency characteristics. Since the detected events, by design, have very similar hypocentres and focal mechanisms, the observed scaling pertains to a restricted set of fault planes.

Contemporary Russia Policy for the Southern Caucasus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen P. Marabyan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The bilateral relations between Russia on the one hand, and the countries of the Southern Caucasus region on the other hand are examined in the article. The main directions of Russian policy in the Southern Caucasus region are examined there. The article focusses attention to the value of the Southern Caucasus region for Russia and also to the key role of Russia in the Southern Caucasus region. The overview of Russian-Azerbaijani, Russian-Armenian and Russian- Georgian relations is given in the article. Russian relations with unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and with partially recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia are examined in the context of above-mentioned bilateral relations. The Caucasian direction of Russian foreign policy is of great importance in questions of ensuring Russian national security. The Caucasian crisis of2008 showed potential conflictness of the region and safety hazard of Russia. Now other processes proceed already in the region. Armenian intention to join the Customs union, the change of Georgian leadership and signing of the agreement on association with EU by Georgia start new mechanisms of interaction between the region countries on the one hand and Russia on the other hand. The relation format between region republics can be changed. The main purpose of the article is to show Russian role in questions of the South Caucasus regional security. The region has the conflict territories, from which the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the Abkhazian Republic and the South Ossetia Republic are distinguished especially. And Russia won't be able to keep aloof in case of escalation of the conflicts around above-mentioned subjects. The vital questions for the region are peace and stability. And Russia plays a key role in these questions.

Internal in vitro dosimetry for fish using hydroxyapatite-based EPR detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ivanov, D.V. [Urals Division of Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Metal Physics, Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Shishkina, E.A.; Osipov, D.I.; Pryakhin, E.A. [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk (Russian Federation); Razumeev, R.A. [Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation)

2015-08-15

A number of aquatic ecosystems were exposed to ionizing radiation as a result of the activities of the Mayak Production Association in the Southern Urals, former Soviet Union, in the 1950s. Currently, fishes inhabiting contaminated lakes are being actively studied. These investigations need dosimetric support. In the present paper the results of a pilot study for elaborating an EPR dosimeter which can be used for internal dosimetry in vitro are described. Biological hydroxyapatite is proposed here to be used as a detecting substance. More specifically, small hydroxyapatite grains are proposed for use as point detectors fixed in a solid matrix. After having been pelletized, the detectors were covered by Mylar and placed in the body of a fish to be stored in the fridge for several months. Application of the detectors for internal fish dosimetry demonstrated that the enamel sensitivity is sufficient for passive detection of ionizing radiation in fishes inhabiting contaminated lakes in the Southern Urals. (orig.)

Peculiarities of the hydrological regime of the fishery water reservoirs at the basin of the Southern Bug of Vinnytsia region

OpenAIRE

V. Baban; I. Gamaliy.

2014-01-01

This paper deals with analysis of hydrological regime of the fishery water reservoirs at the basin of the Southern Bug of Vinnytsia region. Systematization of the investigated water bodies was performed by the authors on the basis of previously developed classification and typing of water reservoirs.

Impact of increasing antarctic glacial freshwater release on regional sea-ice cover in the Southern Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Merino, Nacho; Jourdain, Nicolas C.; Le Sommer, Julien; Goosse, Hugues; Mathiot, Pierre; Durand, Gael

2018-01-01

The sensitivity of Antarctic sea-ice to increasing glacial freshwater release into the Southern Ocean is studied in a series of 31-year ocean/sea-ice/iceberg model simulations. Glaciological estimates of ice-shelf melting and iceberg calving are used to better constrain the spatial distribution and magnitude of freshwater forcing around Antarctica. Two scenarios of glacial freshwater forcing have been designed to account for a decadal perturbation in glacial freshwater release to the Southern Ocean. For the first time, this perturbation explicitly takes into consideration the spatial distribution of changes in the volume of Antarctic ice shelves, which is found to be a key component of changes in freshwater release. In addition, glacial freshwater-induced changes in sea ice are compared to typical changes induced by the decadal evolution of atmospheric states. Our results show that, in general, the increase in glacial freshwater release increases Antarctic sea ice extent. But the response is opposite in some regions like the coastal Amundsen Sea, implying that distinct physical mechanisms are involved in the response. We also show that changes in freshwater forcing may induce large changes in sea-ice thickness, explaining about one half of the total change due to the combination of atmospheric and freshwater changes. The regional contrasts in our results suggest a need for improving the representation of freshwater sources and their evolution in climate models.

Deciphering interaction of regional aquifers in Southern Tunisia using hydrochemistry and isotopic tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abid, Kamel; Dulinski, Marek; Ammar, Friha Hadj; Rozanski, Kazimierz; Zouari, Kamel

2012-01-01

Groundwater is the most important source of water supply in southern Tunisia. Previous hydrogeologic and isotopic studies carried out in this region revealed the existence of two major aquifer systems: the “Complex Terminal” (CT) and the “Continental Intercalaire” (CI). Turonian carbonates constitute one of the major aquifer levels of the CT multilayered aquifer. It extends over most of southern Tunisia, and its hydrodynamic regime is largely influenced by tectonics, lithology and recharge conditions. Forty-eight groundwater samples from the CI and Turonian aquifers were collected between January and April 2004 for chemical and isotopic analyses. Hydrochemistry and isotopic tools were combined to get an insight into the processes controlling chemical composition of groundwater and wide-scale interaction of these two aquifer systems. Analysis of the dissolved constituents revealed that several processes control the observed chemical composition: (i) incongruent dissolution of carbonate minerals, (ii) dissolution of evaporitic minerals, and (iii) cation exchange. Dissolution alone cannot account for the observed high supersaturation states of groundwater with respect to calcite and dolomite. The observed supersaturation is most probably linked to geogenic CO 2 entering water-bearing horizons of the CT and CI aquifers via deep tectonic faults and discontinuities and subsequent degassing in the exploitation wells. Presence of geogenic CO 2 in the investigated region was confirmed by C isotope data of the DIC reservoir. The radiocarbon content of the Turonian samples varied between 9.5 and 43 pmc. For CI samples generally lower values were recorded, between 3.8 and 22.5 pmc. Stable isotope composition of Turonian groundwater samples varied from −8.3 to −5.3‰ for δ 18 O and from −60 to −25‰ for δ 2 H. The corresponding ranges of δ values for the Continental Intercalaire samples were from −8.9‰ to −6.9‰ for δ 18 O and from −68.2‰ to �

OECD Reviews of Regional Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maguire, Karen; Marsan, Giulia Ajmone; Nauwelaers, Claire

This book examines regional innovation in central and southern Denmark, looking at its role in the economy, its governance and policy context and regional strategies for innovation driven growth.......This book examines regional innovation in central and southern Denmark, looking at its role in the economy, its governance and policy context and regional strategies for innovation driven growth....

Groundwater quality characterization to protect biodiversity in SADC region (Southern African Development Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefania Vitale

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The following paper describes the first phase of a study held in the context of the SECOSUD Phase II project, called “Conservation and equitable use of biological diversity in the SADC region (Southern African Development Community, which aims at promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic development in the SADC [1]. The Southern African Development Community (SADC is an inter-governmental organization, with 15 member states: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Madagascar, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its aim is to increase socio-economic cooperation and integration among the community. It is one of the richest area in terms of biodiversity. The main goal of the Project is to contribute to stop biodiversity loss by supporting the development of conservation strategies. Biodiversity or biological diversity is formally defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD as: “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, among others, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems” (UN 1992 Article 2 [2]. Biodiversity is affected by the interaction of multiple drivers and pressures including demographic, economic, socio-political, scientific and technological ones, which are leading to further decline, degradation and loss. The principal pressures on biodiversity include habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation, alien invasive species, climate change and pollution. These pressures are continuing to increase. To use biodiversity and to keep it in a sustainable way, it is necessary to study it, assess its economic value, develop a global strategy and a global network to monitor its status in the biosphere. An important step in developing conservation of biodiversity

Biological Correlates of Northern-Southern Italy Differences in IQ

Science.gov (United States)

Templer, Donald I.

2012-01-01

The present study was intended to provide perspective, albeit less than unequivocal, on the research of Lynn (2010) who reported higher IQs in the northern than southern Italian regions. He attributes this to northern Italians having a greater genetic similarity to middle Europeans and southern Italians to Mediterranean people. Higher regional IQ…

Correlation and origin of carnotite occurrences in the southern Nevada region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, C.L.

1982-01-01

Carnotite [K 2 (UO 2 ) 2 (VO 4 ) 2 .3H 2 O] is recognized at seven localities in the southern Nevada region. These general areas of occurrence are the Jean-Sloan Calcrete, Hidden Valley Calcrete, Hualapai Limestone, Boulder City ''fossil water table'', Horse Spring Formation type locality, Mormon Mesa Caliche, and exposures of the Willow Tank thrust fault. The carnotite occurrences pre-date the 3.80 MY (million years before present) basalt at Sandy Pint, post-date an 8.66 MY tuff that underlies the Hualapai Limestone, and are approximately coeval with the 5.84 MY Fortification Basalt. Analysis of the Th/U ratios from 2045 dry stream sediment samples collected during the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Program indicates uranium depletion in Precambrian terrain of the region and enrichment in areas where carnotite is observed. Anomalous vanadium in dry stream sediment samples is associated with intermediate and mafic Cenozoic volcanic rocks of pre-Colorado River age, and to a lesser extent with uratic Precambrian rocks. Correlation of the Jean-Sloan Calcrete, Hidden Valley Calcrete, Mormon Mesa Caliche, Hualapai Limestone, and Boulder City ''fossil water table'' is proposed based on elevation, relief, and inferred common age and origin. Carnotite studies have provided recognition criteria for facies of a regional geomorphic surface that formed in association with sluggish shallow groundwater flow in axial drainage systems in the Late Miocene. Carnotite and gypsum were deposited in disrupted by normal faulting and climatic conditions become increasingly arid 5-6 MY ago. Major geologic events that approximately coincide with the formation of the carnotite occurrences include the Messinian Crisis, opening of the Gulf of California, and uplift of the Sierra Nevada

Cultural and Chronological Horizons and the Problem of the Early Sarmatian Culture Formation

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Yablonsky Leonid Teodorovich

2015-12-01

Full Text Available On the materials of Eurasian early nomads’ archaeology we highlight the South Ural cultural and historical area (UCHA. Geographically it includes steppe regions of West Kazakhstan, Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions, steppe and forest steppe zones of the Republic of Bashkortostan. There were similar cultural processes that led to the Early Sarmatian archaeological culture formation in the Early Iron Age. Under the cultural and chronological horizon we understand the geographic region that is significantly larger than UCHA. Practically it has no geographic boundaries. Specificity of the horizon is that at a certain chronological stage (phase artifacts and their complexes, signs of spiritual culture are widely distributed that will mark the horizon – the horizon markers such as well known Scythian triad. Global chronological scheme of the Southern Trans-Urals cultural and historical area can be represented as follows: “Sauromatian” cultural and chronological horizon – the second half of the 6th – the end of the 4th (3rd centuries B.C. – Phase “A” – the second half of the 6th – the middle of the 5th centuries B.C. – Phase “B” – the second half of the 5th – the third quarter of the 4th centuries B.C. – Phase “C” – the third quarter of the 4th – the 3rd century B.C. Typologically the burial grounds like Filippovka I and Perevolochan can be attributed to the Early-Sarmatian archaeological culture, i.e. to the time of the ethnic consciousness formation of suspected archaeological Early Sarmatians. In this period ordinary mounds and graves appear along with the elite ones. It is advisable to consider the sites of the “Sauromatian” and Early-Sarmatian cultures of the South Urals of the end of the 5th-3rd centuries B.C. as a single culture of the early nomads.

Techniques of remote sensing and GIS as tools for visualizing impact of climate change-induced flood in the southern African region.

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This study employs remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data to visualize the impact of climate change caused by flooding in the Southern African region in order to assist decision makers’ plans for future occurrences. In pursuit of this objective, this study uses Digital Elevat...

Seasonal variation and trend of chicken pox in the southern region of Saudi Arabia (2007-2012).

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Saleh, Noha; Al Moghazy, Bassem

2014-12-01

Chicken pox is a contagious disease caused by varicella zoster virus. Children are most susceptible to infection. In 1998, the WHO recommended that routine childhood varicella vaccination be considered in countries where the disease is a relatively important public health concern. There are few data on the trends of chicken pox. We aimed to evaluate the trend of chicken pox in Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the period 2007-2012. Data were collected by retrospective review of the existing anonymous surveillance records and book registries of chicken pox cases at the preventive medicine department of Armed Forces Hospital of the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia from 2007 to 2012. The collected data included the number, age, and sex of registered cases. A seasonal pattern was clearly demonstrated, with peak in March and April. There was also a decreasing trend from 2007 to 2012. Most cases occurred in the age group 4-15 years. The number of infected male patients was a little higher compared with female patients. These results indicate success in controlling the disease in the southern region of Saudi Arabia, which may be attributed to the implementation of public health interventions targeted at reducing infectious diseases (such as the introduction of varicella zoster vaccine in 2008). We recommend that a future study be conducted on the severity of chicken pox infection in adults (hospitalization, complications, and death) and a national survey among adults for the seroprevalence of markers of infection with varicella zoster.

Southern Voice State of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The Southern Voice on post-MDG International Development Goals (Southern ... conceived by the Southern Voice network that will generate and disseminate ... this project will help expand ownership of the SDGs in case study countries and ... think tanks as effective interlocutors between national capitals, regional hubs, ...

Spatial and temporal changes in desertification in the southern region of the Tengger Desert from 1973 to 2009

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Guan, Qingyu; Guan, Wenqian; Yang, Jing; Zhao, Shilei; Pan, Baotian; Wang, Lei; Song, Na; Lu, Min; Li, Fuchun

2017-07-01

The sandy land in the southern region of the Tengger Desert is adjacent to cities and towns, and land desertification poses a threat to the livelihood and production of local residents. To determine dynamic changes in local desertification, five periods (1973, 1987, 1992, 2001, and 2009) of remote sensing data are studied by remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS). The desert contraction area is primarily centered around three units (Wuwei, Gulang, and Jingtai) and nearby regions of Zhongwei City. The primary desert expansion areas include the west side of Helan Mountain (WSHM), the Central Mountainous Area (CMA), and the eastern and western Zhongwei units far from towns. From 1973 to 2009, the degree of change in the contracting part of the primary desert expansion unit showed an increasing trend; in brief, most of the desert (especially after 2001) has been developing in a direction in which desertification has been gradually controlled. The primary desert expansion areas are less affected by human activity, but they are primarily controlled by natural factors (especially wind and terrain). The desert contraction areas occur around the towns and nearby regions with frequent human activity; desertification is primarily controlled by human factors. With rapid economic development (especially after 2000), the scale of the cultivated area, town, and ecological protection engineering has gradually expanded, and the latter two are primarily built on a previous desert, which is the root cause of the reduction in the desert areas around the towns and the shrinkage toward north of border. Therefore, reasonable and effective human activity in the southern region of the Tengger Desert is playing a crucial role in preventing desertification.

Atmospheric Chemistry Over Southern Africa

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Gatebe, Charles K.; Levy, Robert C.; Thompson, Anne M.

2011-01-01

During the southern African dry season, regional haze from mixed industrial pollution, biomass burning aerosol and gases from domestic and grassland fires, and biogenic sources from plants and soils is worsened by a semi-permanent atmosphere gyre over the subcontinent. These factors were a driver of several major international field campaigns in the 1990s and early 2000s, and attracted many scientists to the region. Some researchers were interested in understanding fundamental processes governing chemistry of the atmosphere and interaction with climate change. Others found favorable conditions for evaluating satellite-derived measurements of atmospheric properties and a changing land surface. With that background in mind a workshop on atmospheric chemistry was held in South Africa. Sponsored by the International Commission for Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (ICACGP; http://www.icacgp.org/), the workshop received generous support from the South African power utility, Eskom, and the Climatology Research Group of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. The purpose of the workshop was to review some earlier findings as well as more recent findings on southern African climate vulnerability, chemical changes due to urbanization, land-use modification, and how these factors interact. Originally proposed by John Burrows, president of ICACGP, the workshop was the first ICACGP regional workshop to study the interaction of air pollution with global chemical and climate change. Organized locally by the University of the Witwatersrand, the workshop attracted more than 60 delegates from South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. More than 30 presentations were given, exploring both retrospective and prospective aspects of the science. In several talks, attention was focused on southern African chemistry, atmospheric pollution monitoring, and climate processes as they were studied in the field

Proteolytic and lipolytic microbiota of refrigerated raw milk from northeast and southern regions of Brazil

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Jose Carlos Ribeiro Junior

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The shelf life of milk and milk derivatives is directly related to the microbiological quality of refrigerated raw milk. Spoilage microorganisms with proteolytic and/or lipolytic properties are primarily responsible for the decrease in the quality of milk, which is reflected in the shelf life of pasteurized milk and all derivatives. The aim of this study was to determine the spoilage microbial load of refrigerated raw milk from the northeast and southern regions of Brazil, which have different climatic and technological conditions of production. We evaluated 46 samples of milk from the state of Paraná in the southern region, and 10 samples of milk from the state of Maranhão in the northeast region, totaling 56 samples collected from November 2013 to November 2014. The producers of Paraná were divided into large (20 or small (26 according to the average daily production. All producers of Maranhão were considered small (<500L/day. The proteolytic and lipolytic microorganism counts were conducted in milk agar and tributyrin agar, respectively. Milk from the large producers of Paraná had average counts of 1.4 × 104 CFU/mL for proteolytic microorganisms and 1.2 × 103 CFU/mL for lipolytics microorganisms, significantly (p <0.05 lower than the small producers in the same state, and the producers of Maranhão. Producers of Maranhao had counts of 1.1 × 105 CFU/mL for proteolytic microorganisms and 2 × 105 CFU/mL for lipolytic microorganisms, with the proteolytic count significantly lower than that of small Paraná producers. The amount of proteolytic and lipolytic spoilage microorganisms in milk is influenced by the adaptation of the microorganisms to cold, promoted by the cooling of milk, which is practiced less frequently in the country’s northeastern region. The amount of spoilage microorganisms is also affected by the implementation of milking hygiene practices, which reduce contamination. Such practices are more frequently and efficiently

Granites and granitoids of the southern region - Granite molybdenite system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Issler, R.S.

1987-01-01

Economic concentrations of molybdenum are genetically closely associated with acidic and moderately acid granitoids-granites, granodiorites, monzonites and diorites, and are located in two geotectonic settings: subduction-related and rift-related. The aim of this paper is twofold, first succinctly approach the geology, tectonic setting and chemical parameters of the 'granite molybdenite system' as defined by Mutschler and/or alcali granite porphyry bodies emplaced in the North American continent for occasion of a Mesozoic-Fanerozoic extensile event; second to relate the computer-assisted evaluation of 422 major element chemical analysis of granites and granitoids of southern region of Brazil, using chemical fingerprints (SiO 2 ≥ 74. Owt%, Na 2 O ≤ 3.6wt%, K 2 O ≥ 4.5wt%), and K 2 O/Na 2 O ratio > 1.5 developed and testified from North American and Finnish occurrences, may locate molybdenite-bearing granite bodies with high exploration potential. These techniques suggest that some late Precambrian to early Paleozoic granite-rhyolite assemblages inserted at domains of the SG. 22/23 Curitiba/Iguape, SH. 21/22 Uruguaiana/Porto Alegre and SI.22 Lagoa Mirim Sheets, have exploration potential for molybdenum. (author) [pt

Empowering Women for Development through Community-Driven Sustainable Programmes: A Response to Traditional Patriarchal Power in the Southern African Region

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Braimoh, Dele; Lekoko, Rebecca; Alade, Eunice B.

2004-01-01

In the Southern Africa region, the act of prejudice against women mostly occurs where patriarchal power reigns. This type of power is felt in areas such as inheritance right, division of labour, access to political and economic resources and legal and social matters. Other areas of discrimination against women include access to educational and…

Individual-dose distribution for the population in different regions with radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keirim-Markus, I.B.; Kleshchenko, E.D.; Kushnereva, K.K.

1995-01-01

The reconstruction of individual doses as a result of the Chernobyl accident often relied on the method of EPR measurement from the enamel from extracted teeth. This method was used reliably, with individual confirmations of its indications being obtained. In determining the relatively small irradiation dose to the population, doubts arise because of the fact that the measured dose is often greater than the dose calculated by an indirect method---from external radiation fields at the location and the contents of radionuclides in foods. It is necessary, therefore, to perform an independent check of the results. In this paper, we describe one method for checking the reliability---comparing the measurements of the dose from several teeth in the same individual---in determining the dose from tooth enamel for the population of the Kamensk-Ural region of Sverdlovsk province. This group lived in the zone of passage for the eastern Ural radioactive wake in 1957. The error of the dose determination for different samples was different, since it depends on the mass and quality of the enamel obtained. The results presented show that the method of EPR dosimetry using the enamel of extracted teeth makes it possible to determine quite reliably the individual dose of external radiation from the background up to several Gy of the measurements. Our method compares measurements

Iron marketing and modernisation in the Urals in XIX century: evident and implicit links

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Vladimir Leonidivich Bersenyov

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Modernization theory, interpreted as a civilizational shift from traditional agrarian to a modern industrial society, allows considering innovations as the conditions necessary and sufficient for this transformation. Russia of the XIX century was characterized by similar processes. The transition to the new industrial technology foundation began decades before the abolition of serfdom. This paper tells about the experience of modernization of metallurgical production at Nizhny Tagil plants of Demidovs in 1840-1850. It is noted that export orientation of iron and steel in Western Europe played a powerful incentive to improve the technical and technological base of the mountain plants of the Middle Urals. Also important is the fact that the Demidovs administration has sought means to minimize the number of intermediaries in the sale of their products. The administration has sought ways to help commissioners get responses back from direct consumers of iron produced in Nizhny Tagil plants. Demidovs were interested, as they assessed the quality of the metal, which "internal properties" they would like to see in their iron in order to successfully use it in the production process. In turn, the domestic market was practicing somewhat different approach to trading metals - a network of regional sales offices in most major economic centers was functioning to better know the requirements for the quality of the metal and the volume of its production plan in line with the real needs of specific types of iron and copper. At the same time, the contradictory nature of the modernization process itself, in particular, the reluctance of the management of enterprises pass on the use of coal as a primary fuel source is highlighted. In fact, the use of coal Nizhny Tagil plants began to implement only in 1880, which did not stop Demidovs during the post-reform period to increase volumes of metal smelting on the old industrial-energy base.

Holocene tephrostratigraphy of southern Chiloé Continental (Andean southern volcanic zone; ~43°S), Chile

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Lachowycz, S.; Smith, V. C.; Pyle, D. M.; Mather, T. A.

2012-12-01

The eruptive history of the volcanoes in the southern part of the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone (42.5-45°S) is very poorly constrained: only several late Quaternary eruptions have been identified, mostly from study of sparse roadcuts [1]. In this study, we further constrain the Holocene explosive eruption history around 43°S by identifying and analysing tephra layers preserved in a ~3.25m long peat core from Cuesta Moraga [2], ~35km east of Yanteles volcano. Cryptotephra was extracted following the method of [3], in addition to macrotephra; owing to the vicinity of the sampling site to the tephra sources, cryptotephra was found throughout the core stratigraphy, but was sufficiently variable in concentration that discrete layers were identifiable and attributed to specific eruptions. Chemical analysis of the glass by electron microprobe shows that the tephra layers originate from a number of volcanoes in the region. This new tephrostratigraphy improves our knowledge of the important history of explosive volcanism in this area, potentially tying the tephrostratigraphies of surrounding areas (e.g., [4]) and allowing improved evaluation of regional volcanic risk. [1] Naranjo, J.A.., and C. R. Stern, 2004. Holocene tephrochronology of the southernmost part (42°30'-45°S) of the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone. Revista geológica de Chile, 31, pp. 225-240. [2] Heusser, C.J., et al., 1992. Paleoecology of late Quaterary deposits in Chiloé Continental, Chile. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, 65, pp. 235-245. [3] Blockley, S.P.E., et al., 2005. A new and less destructive laboratory procedure for the physical separation of distal glass tephra shards from sediments. Quaternary Science Reviews, 24, pp. 1952-1960. [4] Watt, S.F.L., et al., 2011. Holocene tephrochronology of the Hualaihue region (Andean southern volcanic zone, ~42°S), southern Chile. Quaternary International, 246, pp. 324-343.

Analysis of internal doses to Mole voles inhabiting the East-Ural radioactive trace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malinovsky, G.; Yarmoshenko, I. [Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS (Russian Federation); Chibiryak, M.; Vasil' ev, A. [Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology UB RAS (Russian Federation)

2014-07-01

Substantial task of development of approaches to radiation protection of non-human biota is investigation of relationships of exposure to dose, and dose to effects. Small mammals inhabiting territory of the East-Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) are affected to ionizing radiation for many generations after accident at Mayak plutonium production in 1957. According to results of numerous studies a number of effects of exposure are observed. It is remarkable that the revealed effects are both negative and adaptive. In particular, the analysis of the variability of morphological structures of the axial skull and lower jaw in the population of northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinus Pall.), the burrowing rodent inhabiting the EURT, is of great interest. At the same time there is no reliable assessment of the radiation doses to these animals. Earlier we developed the approach to assess internal doses to mouse-like rodents (mice and voles) caused by incorporated {sup 90}Sr, which is the main dose contributing radionuclide at the EURT. Dose assessments are based on the results of beta-radiometry of intact bone. Routine methods for measuring the activity concentration of {sup 90}Sr in skeleton require ashing of samples, however in morphometric studies the destruction of material should be avoided: the skulls of mole voles are stored in the environmental samples depository of IPAE. Coefficients linking results of beta-radiometry of intact bone and activity concentration of {sup 90}Sr in skull of mouse was obtained basing on comparison of results of beta-radiometry of intact bone and bone ash. Obtained coefficients cannot be directly applied for calculating activity concentration of {sup 90}Sr in mole vole skulls because they are significantly larger. Therefore the additional study is required to assess proper coefficient of conversion from beta-radiometry to activity concentration of {sup 90}Sr. Developed dose assessment procedure includes application of the published values of

Late Permian to Triassic intraplate orogeny of the southern Tianshan and adjacent regions, NW China

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Wei Ju

2014-01-01

Based on previous studies and recent geochronogical data, we suggest that the final collision between the Tarim Craton and the North Asian continent occurred during the late Carboniferous. Therefore, the Permian was a period of intracontinental environment in the southern Tianshan and adjacent regions. We propose that an earlier, small-scale intraplate orogenic stage occurred in late Permian to Triassic time, which was the first intraplate process in the South Tianshan Orogen and adjacent regions. The later large-scale and well-known Neogene to Quaternary intraplate orogeny was induced by the collision between the India subcontinent and the Eurasian plate. The paper presents a new evolutionary model for the South Tianshan Orogen and adjacent regions, which includes seven stages: (I late Ordovician–early Silurian opening of the South Tianshan Ocean; (II middle Silurian–middle Devonian subduction of the South Tianshan Ocean beneath an active margin of the North Asian continent; (III late Devonian–late Carboniferous closure of the South Tianshan Ocean and collision between the Kazakhstan-Yili and Tarim continental blocks; (IV early Permian post-collisional magmatism and rifting; (V late Permian–Triassic the first intraplate orogeny; (VI Jurassic–Palaeogene tectonic stagnation and (VII Neocene–Quaternary intraplate orogeny.

Investment Potential in Southern Cross Lane East Java

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Abdul Hamid

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This article aims to identify potential problems, and development challenges Trails South (JLS as well as increased investment strategies in an attempt to improve the welfare of the people in the southern region of East Java. The study was conducted using descriptive method with sample areas in several districts / cities in the area of JLS, namely Pacitan, Terri, Tulungagung, Blitar, Malang, Lumajang, Jember and Banyuwangi. By using the analysis of the competitiveness of the region as well as the analysis of the pricing structure that is known comparative advantage (comparative advantage and competitive advantage (competitive advantage owned by the industry in each region of the sample. Comparative advantage was reflected in the level of production costs, while the competitive advantage is reflected by the role of transaction costs, including transportation cost. Based to the results of the study revealed that: (i development of the industry in the southern region is largely determined by the ability of the industry to conduct cost reduction through production efficiency, (ii development JLS contribute to lower transport costs, thereby increasing competitive advantage, where the region is the biggest benefit Pacitan and Blitar, and (iii development of JLS will result in increased economic activity and employment, especially in Pacitan and Blitar. Recommendations that can be submitted is the preparation of a master plan development of JLS, especially for the area Pacitan, Blitar, and Psychology. Where in the preparation of the master plan is needed studies on southern regional development planning, such as the establishment of centers of development of the southern region is seen by the economic characteristics of the area.

Sequence diversity of the C-terminal region of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 in southern Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Zamani, Zahra; Razavi, Mohammad Reza; Sadeghi, Sedigheh; Naddaf, Saeed; Pourfallah, Fatemeh; Mirkhani, Fatemeh; Arjmand, Mohammad; Feizhaddad, Hossein; Rad, Mina Ebrahimi; Ebrahimi Rad, Mina; Tameemi, Marzieh; Assmar, Mehdi

2009-01-01

The C-terminal region of the merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1) of Plasmodium falciparum is a strong vaccine candidate as it is associated with immunity to the parasite. This corresponds approximately to the conserved 17th block of the gene and is composed of two EGF- like domains. These domains exhibit only four single amino acid substitutions which show several potential variants in this region of the gene. As the variations might be important for a regional vaccine design, a study was carried out to determine the variations present in P. falciparum isolates from southern Iran. Besides the usual E-T-S-R-L and the Q-K-N-G-F types, we found Q-T-S-R-L, E-K-N-G-F, E-T-S-G-L, Z-T-S-G-L and Z-T-S-R-L types, where Z was E or Q signifying the presence of mixed clones in single isolates.

Addressing the Issue of Gender Equity in the Presidency of the University System in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region

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Guramatunhu-Mudiwa, Precious

2010-01-01

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a regional economic grouping of 15 countries whose common vision is to promote economic, social and political development and growth. Arguably, sustainable growth can be realized if there is equal access to all positions of power and influence in the area, but an investigation of 117…

North Atlantic Origin of Interdecadal variability of Siberian High

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Kim, Seon-Hwa; Sung, Mi-Kyung; Kim, Baek-Min

2017-04-01

We suggest that the changes in the mean atmospheric circulation structure in the North Atlantic Ocean upstream region of Eurasian continent play an important role in the interdecadal variability of Siberian High (SH) through the modulation of Ural blocking frequency. Previous studies suggested that the interdecadal variability of SH is partly explained by the Arctic Oscillation. However, in this study, we emphasize the role of 'Warm Arctic and Cold Eurasia (WACE)', which is the second mode of winter surface air temperature variability over Eurasia. We show that the correlation between SH and WACE is high in general compared to that between SH and AO. However, the correlation between SH and WACE does not always exhibit high constant value. It shows a distinctive interdecadal fluctuation in the correlation. We found that this fluctuation in the correlation is due to the interdecadal fluctuation of the continental trough over the North Atlantic and the resultant strengthening of in-situ atmospheric baroclinicity. This accompanies changes in the transient vorticity flux divergence which leads to the downstream wave development and anomalous anticyclonic flow near Ural region. Obviously, the existence of anticyclonic flow over Ural region helps more frequent occurrence of Ural blocking and it is shown that this condition favors positive WACE event, which links to an intensified SH.

Innovative Approaches to the Solution of Searching Hydrocarbons in Deep Horizons of the Volga-Ural Oil and Gas Province

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V.A. Trofimov

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article draws attention to the problem of hydrocarbon exploration in deep horizons, which is especially important for the old oil and gas bearing provinces, in particular, for the Volga-Ural province. The example of Riphean-Vendian deposits shows that the solution of this problem is possible if we use not only data of the structural plans of the studied horizons, but also the presence in the immediate vicinity of the identified structures of the oil feeding channels (faults allocated by the high-depth CDP seismic survey. Based on a comparative analysis of the structure of the White Tiger field (Vietnam and Zhigulev arch, it was concluded that they are very similar and that it is expedient to set up, within the last tectonic element, purposeful studies to explore the prospects of oil and gas potential of the Precambrian basement.

AIDS Prevention in the Southern African Development Community ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

AIDS Prevention in the Southern African Development Community : Policy Research and Decision Support. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is at the epicentre of the AIDS pandemic. The regional adult HIV prevalence is approximately 11%, twice the average in other African countries. Scores of ...

Volcanism, Iron, and Phytoplankton in the Heard and McDonald Islands Region, Southern Indian Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Coffin, M. F.; Arculus, R. J.; Bowie, A. R.; Chase, Z.; Robertson, R.; Trull, T. W.; Heobi in2016 v01 Shipboard Party, T.

2016-12-01

Phytoplankton supply approximately half of the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, and iron supply limits the growth of phytoplankton in the anemic Southern Ocean. Situated entirely within the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean are Australia's only active subaerial volcanoes, Heard and McDonald islands (HIMI) on the central Kerguelen Plateau, a large igneous province. Widespread fields of submarine volcanoes, some of which may be active, extend for distances of up to several hundred kilometers from the islands. The predominantly eastward-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current sweeps across the central Kerguelen Plateau, and extensive blooms of phytoplankton are observed on the Plateau down-current of HIMI. The goal of RV Investigator voyage IN2016_V01, conducted in January/February 2016, is to test the hypothesis that hydrothermal fluids, which cool active submarine volcanoes in the HIMI region, ascend from the seafloor and fertilise surface waters with iron, thereby enhancing biological productivity beginning with phytoplankton. Significant initial shipboard results include: Documentation, for the first time, of the role of active HIMI and nearby submarine volcanoes in supplying iron to the Southern Ocean. Nearshore waters had elevated dissolved iron levels. Although biomass was not correspondingly elevated, fluorescence induction data indicated highly productive resident phytoplankton. Discovery of >200 acoustic plumes emanating from the seafloor and ascending up to tens of meters into the water column near HIMI. Deep tow camera footage shows bubbles rising from the seafloor in an acoustic plume field north of Heard Island. Mapping 1,000 km2 of uncharted seafloor around HIMI. Submarine volcanic edifices punctuate the adjacent seafloor, and yielded iron-rich rocks similar to those found on HIMI, respectively. Acoustic plumes emanating from some of these features suggest active seafloor hydrothermal systems.

Cultural and climatic changes shape the evolutionary history of the Uralic languages.

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Honkola, T; Vesakoski, O; Korhonen, K; Lehtinen, J; Syrjänen, K; Wahlberg, N

2013-06-01

Quantitative phylogenetic methods have been used to study the evolutionary relationships and divergence times of biological species, and recently, these have also been applied to linguistic data to elucidate the evolutionary history of language families. In biology, the factors driving macroevolutionary processes are assumed to be either mainly biotic (the Red Queen model) or mainly abiotic (the Court Jester model) or a combination of both. The applicability of these models is assumed to depend on the temporal and spatial scale observed as biotic factors act on species divergence faster and in smaller spatial scale than the abiotic factors. Here, we used the Uralic language family to investigate whether both 'biotic' interactions (i.e. cultural interactions) and abiotic changes (i.e. climatic fluctuations) are also connected to language diversification. We estimated the times of divergence using Bayesian phylogenetics with a relaxed-clock method and related our results to climatic, historical and archaeological information. Our timing results paralleled the previous linguistic studies but suggested a later divergence of Finno-Ugric, Finnic and Saami languages. Some of the divergences co-occurred with climatic fluctuation and some with cultural interaction and migrations of populations. Thus, we suggest that both 'biotic' and abiotic factors contribute either directly or indirectly to the diversification of languages and that both models can be applied when studying language evolution. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2013 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Trends and changes in tropical and summer days at the Adana Sub-Region of the Mediterranean Region, Southern Turkey

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Bayer Altın, Türkan; Barak, Belma

2017-11-01

In this study, the long-term variability and trends of the annual and seasonal numbers of summer and tropical days of the Adana Sub-region were investigated using nonlinear and linear trend detection tests for the period 1960-2014 at 14 meteorological stations. The results suggest that the annual number of summer and tropical days was generally below the long-term average through to the end of the 1980s. In particular, positive anomaly values could be observed at all stations between the years 1993-2014. With respect to the Kruskal-Wallis homogeneity test, the significant breaking date was 1993. The rapid rise of the annual number of summer (tropical) days after this year led to the inversion of the negative trends observed from 1987 to 1992 into positive ones. The increasing trend is statistically significance at 0.01 level in Yumurtalık, Mersin and Antakya for the annual number of summer and tropical days. Dörtyol, İskenderun and Elbistan were significance at 0.01 level for tropical days. The largest positive anomalies of the summer of 2010 are observed in coastal vicinity (Mersin, Yumurtalık and İskenderun). This indicates that these settlements underwent a long-term warm period and thermal conditions due to increasing temperatures in the spring and summer months. The same conditions are found in high inner areas (Göksun and Elbistan) for tropical days. It is noticed that a tendency for greater warming occurred at stations located above 1000 m in the sub-region. The average number of warm days will increase 2-days per 100-years in southern part of the sub-region. The increasing trend in summer temperatures can be considered a potential risk, notably for human health and for economic and crop losses in the Adana Sub-region, including Çukurova, one of the most important agriculture areas of Turkey.

Preliminaries to a feasibility analysis of the Maglev proposal of the Southern California Association of Governments for the region : a seed grant study report

Science.gov (United States)

2009-08-30

This is a seed grant study to perform a preliminary investigation of the system components and : generalized costs of the magnetic levitation type of high speed rail system that is proposed for the : Southern California Region, TGVbased high speed...

Nepticulidae from the Volga and Ural region

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nieukerken, van E.J.; Zolotuhin, V.V.; Mistchenko, A.

2004-01-01

Abstract. The Nepticulidae of the Russian provinces (oblasts) Ul’yanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan and Chelyabinsk and the Kalmyk Republic are listed. We record 60 species, including two only previously recorded, 28 species only on the basis of leafmines (indicated with an *). Seventeen

The Southern Alberta Information Resources (SAIR Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathy Crewdson

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Southern Alberta Information Resources (SAIR is a collaborative bibliography of published resources significant to southern Alberta. Objectives and progress with evolving methodology, technology, issues and challenges are explored within the context of the library field. We investigate a collaborative digital library that allows librarians and non-librarians alike to share information on specific topics through MARC records. An outcome of a collaborative digital library is how to create and sustain interest within the library community. Southern Alberta region was selected based on the authors’ familiarity with the region. Some issues and questions remain to be resolved. Digital formats present a number of challenges in terms of selection and presentation. Legal issues relating to technology such as linking and location information have emerged. Basic technical issues remain, such as, how best to update links.

Ethnophytotherapeutical research in the high Molise region (Central-Southern Italy

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Lucchese Fernando

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the years 2003–2005 research was carried out concerning ethno-medicine in the high Molise (central- southern Italy, a region that has been the object of very little investigation from the ethnobotanical point of view. Upper Molise is a continuation of the mountain profiles of the Abruzzi Appenines: a series of hills, steep slopes and deep fluvial valleys making communications difficult. Primordial traditions (e.g. harvest feasts are typical of the region. Methods Field data were collected through open interviews in the field. These were conducted on both an individual and group level, fresh plants gathered from surrounding areas being displayed. In other cases, individual interviews were conducted by accompanying the person involved to the places where they perform their activities (for example, in the woods with woodcutters, kitchen gardens and fields with housewives, pastures with shepherds, etc.. In total 54 individuals were interviewed. Results Data of 70 taxa belonging to 39 families were gathered. Among the species, 64 are used in human therapy, 5 as insect repellents, 11 in veterinary medicine, 1 to keep eggs and cheeses and 4 for magic purposes. The most important findings in ethno-medicine relate to the lichen Lobaria pulmonaria (L. Hoffm. (wounds and to some vascular plant species: Asplenium trichomanes L. and Ceterach officinarum Willd. (to regularize menstruation, Cyclamen hederifolium (chilblains, Centaurium erythraea Rafn. and Pulmonaria apennina Cristof. & Puppi (bruises, while in the ethno-veterinary field, we have Valeriana officinalis L. (wounds sustained by mules. Also worthy of note, given the isolation of the area, is the number of plants used to protect foodstuffs from parasites, among which Allium sativum L. and Capsicum frutescens L. Conclusion The research revealed a deep-rooted and widespread habit of husbanding the family's resources. Whilst isolation and snowfalls contributed to the widespread

Epidemiology, Regional Characteristics, Knowledge, and Attitude Toward Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Southern Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehghankhalili, Maryam; Fallahi, Soghra; Mahmudi, Forugh; Ghaffarpasand, Fariborz; Shahrzad, Mohammad Esmaeil; Taghavi, Mohsen; Fereydooni Asl, Marjan

2015-07-01

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), also known as female circumcision, is an ancient traditional procedure that involves partial or total removal of the female external genitalia for nonmedical reasons. Although it is well described in African and some Arabic countries, data from Iran are scarce. To describe the epidemiology, regional characteristics, knowledge, and attitude toward FGM/C in Southern Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted during a 36-month period from 2010 to 2013 in Hormozgan, a southern province of Iran near the Persian Gulf. We included 780 women in six major rural areas of the province who referred to healthcare centers for vaccination, midwifery, or family planning services. All participants underwent complete pelvic examination to determine the type of FGM. The questionnaire consisted of several sections such as demographic and baseline characteristics, and two self-report sections addressing the knowledge and attitude toward FGM/C and its complications. Baseline sociodemographic characteristics including age, educational level, marital status, religion, and nationality were the independent variables. Among the participants, 535 (68.5%) had undergone FGM/C. FGM/C was associated with higher age (P = 0.002), Afghan nationality (P = 0.003), Sunni Islam as religion (P = 0.019), illiteracy (P Islam religion, Afghan nationality, and positive family history. Lack of knowledge toward FGM/C is the main cause of its high prevalence and continuation in the area. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Dust from southern Africa: rates of emission and biogeochemical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattachan, A.; D'Odorico, P.; Zobeck, T. M.; Okin, G. S.; Dintwe, K.

2012-12-01

The stabilized linear dunefields in the southern Kalahari show signs of reactivation due to reduced vegetation cover owing to drought and/or overgrazing. It has been demonstrated with a laboratory dust generator that the southern Kalahari soils are good emitters of dust and that large-scale dune reactivation can potentially make the region an important dust source in the relatively low-dust Southern Hemisphere. We show that emergence of the southern Kalahari as a new dust source may affect ocean biogeochemistry as the soils are rich in soluble iron and the dust from the southern Kalahari commonly reaches the Southern Ocean. We investigate the biogeochemical properties of the fine fraction of soil from the Kalahari dunes and compare them to those of currently active dust sources such as the Makgadikgadi and the Etosha pans as well as other smaller pans in the region. Using field measurements of sediment fluxes and satellite images, we calculate the rates of dust emission from the southern Kalahari under different land cover scenarios. To assess the reversibility of dune reactivation in the southern Kalahari, we investigate the resilience of dunefield vegetation by looking at changes in soil nutrients, fine soil fractions, and seed bank in areas affected by intense denudation.

Migration and gender wage gap in the southern region of Brazil

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Karla Cristina Tyskowski Teodoro Rodrigues

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the wage gap according to migration status and gender of the labor force of the southern states of Brazil (Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. We used data from the National Household Sample Survey – 2013, Mincer equations, Heckman procedure for sample selection bias and the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analysis. The results show that the state of Paraná has greater relative share of migrants from the South, followed by Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The region has a higher salary for migrants, both for men and for women, consistent with the results already seen in the literature. Men have a higher salary, and the largest wage gap by gender occurs in the migrant population. By decomposing wage gap we detected discrimination by sex, which is higher among migrants. We also found the migration effect on wages, i.e. a wage gap caused by migration even after controlling by workers endowments: among women, about 15% of the pay gap comes from the migration status (favorable to migrants, and among men a difference of approximately 38% (favorable migrants.

Volatile organic compounds from vegetation in southern Yunnan Province, China: Emission rates and some potential regional implications

Science.gov (United States)

Geron, Chris; Owen, Sue; Guenther, Alex; Greenberg, Jim; Rasmussen, Rei; Hui Bai, Jian; Li, Qing-Jun; Baker, Brad

Little information is currently available regarding emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in southern Asia. To address the need for BVOC emission estimates in regional atmospheric chemistry simulations, 95 common plant species were screened for emissions of BVOC in and near the Xishuangbanna Tropical Biological Gardens in southern Yunnan Province, Peoples' Republic of China in February 2003. In situ measurements with leaf cuvettes and branch bag enclosures were used in combination with portable gas chromatography, flame ionization, photoionization, and mass spectral detection to identify and quantify BVOC emissions. Forty-four of the species examined emitted isoprene at rates exceeding 20 μg C g -1 (leaf dry weight) h -1. An emphasis was placed on the genus Ficus, which is important in the region and occupies a wide range of ecological niches. Several species in the footprint of a nearby flux tower were also examined. Several palm species and an abundant fern ( Cyclosorus parasiticus) emitted substantial amounts of isoprene, and probably accounted for observed daytime mean isoprene fluxes from the understory of a Hevea brasiliensis plantation of 1.0 and 0.15 mg C m -2 h -1 during the wet and dry seasons, respectively. These measurements verify that both the forest floor and canopy in this region can be sources of isoprene. Monoterpene emissions exceeded 1.0 μg-C g -1 (leaf dry weight) h -1 from only 4 of 38 species surveyed, including some Ficus species and H. brasiliensis. However most of the trees of the latter species were sparsely foliated due to dry season senescence, and emission factors are approximately an order of magnitude lower than those reported during the wet season. BVOC emission rates and physiology of many species are impacted by reduced moisture availability, especially Mangifera indica. South Asia is a region undergoing rapid landuse change and forest plantation establishment, with large increases in area of high BVOC

Effects of air and soil pollution by industrial waste on the fructification of Scotch pine in the Urals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mamaev, S A; Shkarlet, O D

1972-01-01

The pollution of aerial environment with smoke gases gives rise to heavy weakening of the forest stands and to reduction of their increment. This was demonstrated convincingly enough, especially in the works of numerous German, Czech, Polish, and Soviet foresters and physiologists. There is far less information on the change of the forest species reproductive capacity in the conditions of heavy pollution. The authors do not have enough observations, showing the effects of smoke gases on characteristics of the forest tree fructification. Therefore, in essence, it is not known until now, how great is the degree of these effects. It is obscure, too, what are the characteristics of quality changes of the seeds of trees suffering from smoke gases. In the present paper are given the results of the investigations carried out in the pine forests growing near industrial centers in the Urals. The main task of the investigations was the establishing of smoke gas effects on the seeding intensity and quality.

Fossil and modern sponge fauna of southern Australia and adjacent regions compared: interpretation, evolutionary and biogeographic significance of the late Eocene ‘soft’ sponges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Łukowiak, M.

2016-01-01

The late Eocene ‘soft’ sponge fauna of southern Australia is reconstructed based on disassociated spicules and is used to interpret the paleoecology and environmental context of shallow marine communities in this region. The reconstructed sponge association was compared with coeval sponge

Southern Africa Regional Office of Astronomy for Development: A New Hub for Astronomy for Development

Science.gov (United States)

Siseho Mutondo, Moola

2015-08-01

A new Astronomy for Development hub needs innovative tools and programs. SAROAD is developing exciting tools integrating Raspberry Pi® technology to bring cost-effective astronomy content to learning centres. SAROAD would also like to report achievements in realising the IAU's strategic plan. In order to manage, evaluate and coordinate regional IAU capacity building programmes, including the recruitment and mobilisation of volunteers, SAROAD has built an intranet that is accessible to regional members upon request. Using this resource, regional members can see and participate in regional activities. This resource also forms the foundation for closer collaboration between SAROAD member countries. SAROAD has commenced with projects in the three Task Force areas of Universities and Research, Children and Schools and Public Outreach. Under the three Task Force areas, a total of seven projects have commenced in Zambia. A further two projects involve the collaboration of Zambia and other regional member countries in order to foster engagement with important regional astronomy facilities (e.g. SKA). SAROAD has identified the IAU’s International Year of Light and a starting point for offering regional support for IAU-endorsed global activities. SAROAD has set up a hub dedicated to regional events and activities about the International Year of Light. SAROAD has a database of regional authorities to enable contact with the region's decision makers and experts. SAROAD will hold an annual event which brings forum for astronomy for development. The creation of the database and the SAROAD Road show is a first step towards this goal. The SAROAD website has helped to advertise upcoming events for astronomy development and education; it is used to provide advice, guidance and information for astronomers in all countries in the Southern Africa. Fundraising is the primary goal for SAROAD in 2015 towards financial self-sufficiency by 2020. We report on the methods that work best

A biogeographical study on tropical flora of southern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Hua

2017-12-01

The tropical climate in China exists in southeastern Xizang (Tibet), southwestern to southeastern Yunnan, southwestern Guangxi, southern Guangdon, southern Taiwan, and Hainan, and these southern Chinese areas contain tropical floras. I checked and synonymized native seed plants from these tropical areas in China and recognized 12,844 species of seed plants included in 2,181 genera and 227 families. In the tropical flora of southern China, the families are mainly distributed in tropical areas and extend into temperate zones and contribute to the majority of the taxa present. The genera with tropical distributions also make up the most of the total flora. In terms of geographical elements, the genera with tropical Asian distribution constitute the highest proportion, which implies tropical Asian or Indo-Malaysia affinity. Floristic composition and geographical elements are conspicuous from region to region due to different geological history and ecological environments, although floristic similarities from these regions are more than 90% and 64% at the family and generic levels, respectively, but lower than 50% at specific level. These differences in the regional floras could be influenced by historical events associated with the uplift of the Himalayas, such as the southeastward extrusion of the Indochina geoblock, clockwise rotation and southeastward movement of Lanping-Simao geoblock, and southeastward movement of Hainan Island. The similarity coefficients between the flora of southern China and those of Indochina countries are more than 96% and 80% at family and generic levels, indicating their close floristic affinity and inclusion in the same biogeographically floristic unit.

Strongly-sheared wind-forced currents in the nearshore regions of the central Southern California Bight

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, Marlene A.; Rosenberger, Kurt; Robertson, George L.

2015-01-01

Contrary to many previous reports, winds do drive currents along the shelf in the central portion of the Southern California Bight (SCB). Winds off Huntington Beach CA are the dominant forcing for currents over the nearshore region of the shelf (water depths less than 20 m). Winds control about 50–70% of the energy in nearshore alongshelf surface currents. The wind-driven current amplitudes are also anomalously high. For a relatively weak 1 dyne/cm2 wind stress, the alongshelf surface current amplitudes in this region can reach 80 cm/s or more. Mid-depth current amplitudes for the same wind stress are around 30–40 cm/s. These wind-driven surface current amplitudes are much larger than previously measured over other nearshore shelf regions, perhaps because this program is one of the few that measured currents within a meter of the surface. The near-bed cross-shelf currents over the nearshore region of the Huntington Beach shelf have an Ekman response to winds in that they upwell (downwell) for down (up) coast winds. This response disappears further offshore. Hence, there is upwelling in the SCB, but it does not occur across the entire shelf. Subthermocline water in the nearshore region that may contain nutrients and plankton move onshore when winds are southeastward, but subthermocline water over the shelf break is not transported to the beach. The currents over the outer shelf are not predominately controlled by winds, consistent with previous reports. Instead, they are mainly driven by cross-shelf pressure gradients that are independent of local wind stress.

A challenge of regional integration: the Southern Argentinian pipeline enlargement; Desafio de integracao regional: ampliacao do gasoduto Sul-Argentino

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sardi, Oscar; Sosa, Damian [Transportadora de Gas del Sur S.A., Buenos Aires (Argentina); Duarte Filho, Arno [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2005-07-01

The enlargement of the pipelines of Southern Argentina comprised the construction of around 500 km of 30' and 36' loops in the first semester of 2005 and presented many peculiarities. It has been the first enlargement of the argentinian pipeline system since the country's default statement, in 2001, and it has been financed and built by a bi national Brazilian-Argentinian consortium. It has also been the first time that a governmental trusteeship has been used in such an enterprise in Argentina to guarantee the necessary funds. The increasing demand of natural gas to industries and power generation plants brought about by Argentina's recent growth has stated the sense of urgency: the construction must be on duty in June 2005, ready to increase de flow of gas to the Provincia de Buenos Aires and Great Buenos Aires regions. This has represented also a technical challenge, due to the small time to built the loops, the geographical distribution of the construction, which extends from Patagonia to the Great Buenos Aires region and the meteorological conditions of the period of the construction. The article describes the negotiations done to assemble the construction's financial and managerial frameworks, the building and the solutions found to face the challenge and to meet the deadline. (author)

Psychopathology of Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Adolescents Living in the Mountainous Region of Southern Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Fang Yen

2006-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that Taiwanese aboriginal adolescents feature more severe psychopathology than non-aboriginal adolescents who live in the same mountainous region of southern Taiwan, and to test the hypothesis by controlling other individual and environmental factors. In this study, a total of 251 aboriginal and 79 non-aboriginal Taiwanese adolescents were enrolled. Their psychopathology was measured by the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised Scale; demographic and family characteristics, and their affinity with their peer group and with their school were also assessed. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that aboriginal adolescents feature more severe psychopathology than non-aboriginal adolescents, and indicated that females and adolescents perceiving higher levels of family conflict and lower family support were more likely to experience more severe psychopathology than those perceiving the contrary. Those who devise strategies to improve the mental health of adolescents living in impoverished regions must take into consideration their ethnicity, gender, and family context when devising such treatment strategies.

Modeling prices of wholesale market of electric energy and power by the example of the UPS of the Ural

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Mokhov V.G.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article oversees forecasting model for deviations of the balancing market index and day-ahead market index according to the maximum similarity sample for different levels of approximation in the context of positive and negative time-series value. The model was being tested on the factual data of the Integrated Power system of the Ural, Wholesale market for electricity and power of Russian Federation. Describes the price formation on the day-ahead market and the balancing market index. The necessity to use accurate forecasting methods consumption and prices of electrical energy and power to reduce penalties when the electric power industry entities on the energy exchange. The testing of mathematical models to predict the balancing market index deviations and day-ahead market based on a sample of maximum similarity with certain approximation equations for positive and negative values gave the prediction error of 3.3%.

Book review: Southern Forested Wetlands: Ecology and Management

Science.gov (United States)

Carl C. Trettin

2000-01-01

The southern region has the largest proportion of wetlands in the conterminous US. The majority of that wetland resource is forested by diverse vegetation communities reflecting differences in soil, hydrology, geomorphology, climatic conditions and past management. Wetland resources in the southern US are very important to the economy providing both commodity and non-...

A new species of Melanophryniscus (Anura, Bufonidae from the Campos Gerais region of Southern Brazil

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Giovanna C. Steinbach-Padilha

2008-12-01

Full Text Available A new species of Melanophryniscus is described from the Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, municipality of Ponta Grossa, Paraná State,Southern Brazil. The Parque Estadual de Vila Velha is located in the Campos Gerais region, an environment dominated by natural grasslands with patches of Araucaria Forest. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by its small size (12.8-14.0 mm snout-vent length in adult males and unique color pattern of copper brown dorsum covered with small spinulose black warts; ventral surface black finely spotted with white, posterior abdomen and ventral surfaces of the forearm, hand and foot with red stains. The new species is nocturnal and breeds in the water accumulated in the leaf-axils of phytotelmata.

Possible adverse effects of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine in the Region of Southern Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cramon, Cecilie; Lindegaard Poulsen, Christina; Hartling, Ulla Birgitte

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Since the introduction of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine, young girls and women have reported a broad range of symptoms. These have been described as possible adverse effects of the vaccine. In this study, we describe demographic characteristics, symptomatology......, clinical and laboratory test results in patients referred with suspected adverse effects in the Region of Southern Denmark. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study. The patients filled out a questionnaire, were interviewed by a doctor and received a standard physical examination...... still in diagnostic workup when the present study concluded. CONCLUSIONS: The patients reported a wide range of symptoms. We found an overall low prevalence of POTS. It should be further investigated whether these patients might suffer from a functional disorder rather than from adverse effects...

Origin and Distribution of PAHs in Ambient Particulate Samples at High Mountain Region in Southern China

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Peng-hui Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available To understand the deposition and transport of PAHs in southern China, a measurement campaign was conducted at a high-elevation site (the summit of Mount Heng, 1269 m A.S.L. from April 4 to May 31, 2009, and a total of 39 total suspended particulate samples were collected for measurement of PAH concentrations. The observed particulate-bound PAHs concentrations ranged from 1.63 to 29.83 ng/m3, with a mean concentration of 6.03 ng/m3. BbF, FLA, and PYR were the predominant compounds. Good correlations were found between individual PAHs and meteorological parameters such as atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, and ambient temperature. The backward trajectory analysis suggested that particulate samples measured at the Mount Heng region were predominantly associated with the air masses from southern China, while the air masses transported over northern and northwestern China had relative higher PAHs concentrations. Based on the diagnostic ratios and factor analysis, vehicular emission, coal combustion, industry emission, and unburned fossil fuels were suggested to be the PAHs sources at Mount Heng site. However, the reactivity and degradation of individual PAHs could influence the results of PAH source profiles, which deserves further investigations in the future.

High Resolution Vp and Vp/Vs Local Earthquake Tomography of the Val d'Agri Region (Southern Apennines, Italy).

Science.gov (United States)

Improta, L.; Bagh, S.; De Gori, P.; Pastori, M.; Piccinini, D.; Valoroso, L.; Anselmi, M.; Buttinelli, M.; Chiarabba, C.

2015-12-01

The Val d'Agri (VA) Quaternary basin in the southern Apennines extensional belt hosts the largest oilfield in onshore Europe and normal-fault systems with high (up to M7) seismogenic potential. Frequent small-magnitude swarms related to both active crustal extension and anthropogenic activity have occurred in the region. Causal factors for induced seismicity are a water impoundment with severe seasonal oscillations and a high-rate wastewater injection well. We analyzed around 1200 earthquakes (MLENI petroleum company. We used local earthquake tomography to investigate static and transient features of the crustal velocity structure and to accurately locate earthquakes. Vp and Vp/Vs models are parameterized by a 3x3x2 km spacing and well resolved down to about 12 km depth. The complex Vp model illuminates broad antiformal structures corresponding to wide ramp-anticlines involving Mesozoic carbonates of the Apulia hydrocarbon reservoir, and NW-SE trending low Vp regions related to thrust-sheet-top clastic basins. The VA basin corresponds to shallow low-Vp region. Focal mechanisms show normal faulting kinematics with minor strike slip solutions in agreement with the local extensional regime. Earthquake locations and focal solutions depict shallow (< 5 km depth) E-dipping extensional structures beneath the artificial lake located in the southern sector of the basin, and along the western margin of the VA. A few swarms define relatively deep transfer structures accommodating the differential extension between main normal faults. The spatio-temporal distribution of around 220 events correlates with wastewater disposal activity, illuminating a NE-dipping fault between 2-5 km depth in the carbonate reservoir. The fault measures 5 km along dip and corresponds to a pre-existing thrust fault favorably oriented with respect to the local extensional field.

A Political Economy of Water in Southern Africa

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Larry A. Swatuk

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Southern Africa is a region characterised by extensive socio-economic underdevelopment. Given water’s key role in social organisation, water allocation, use and management in Southern Africa is embedded in deep historical and structural processes of regional underdevelopment. Gini coefficients of income inequality in several states of the region are the most extreme in the world. Recent data from South Africa shows that Gini coefficients of water inequality vary directly with income inequality. Recent attempts to improve water resources management in the region through IWRM have failed to consider these facts, focusing instead on a mix of institutional, policy and legal reforms. The results of these reforms have been poor. In this essay, I employ a modified version of Allan’s (2003 'water paradigms' framework to locate and assess the positions and interests of actors involved in water resources management in Southern Africa. The essay shows that Southern Africa’s history of underdevelopment has created a dense web of powerful political, economic and social interests linked by a shared technocentric understanding of and approach to water use: i.e. water for 'high modern-style' development, or as labelled by Allen, 'the hydraulic mission'. What is less readily acknowledged is the wide-spread societal support for this mission. For this reason, ecocentric approaches to water management most commonly associated with influential international actors such as the IUCN and World Wide Fund for Nature have limited local support and are of minor relevance to Southern African decision-makers. However, actors supportive of an ecocentric perspective demonstrate considerable ability to inhibit water infrastructure development across the region. In the face of abiding poverty and inequality, and vulnerability to water insecurity, widespread societal support for a technocentric approach to resource use offers a pathway toward broad-based social benefits

Restricted regions of enhanced growth of Antarctic krill in the circumpolar Southern Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Eugene J; Thorpe, Sally E; Tarling, Geraint A; Watkins, Jonathan L; Fielding, Sophie; Underwood, Philip

2017-07-31

Food webs in high-latitude oceans are dominated by relatively few species. Future ocean and sea-ice changes affecting the distribution of such species will impact the structure and functioning of whole ecosystems. Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is a key species in Southern Ocean food webs, but there is little understanding of the factors influencing its success throughout much of the ocean. The capacity of a habitat to maintain growth will be crucial and here we use an empirical relationship of growth rate to assess seasonal spatial variability. Over much of the ocean, potential for growth is limited, with three restricted oceanic regions where seasonal conditions permit high growth rates, and only a few areas around the Scotia Sea and Antarctic Peninsula suitable for growth of the largest krill (>60 mm). Our study demonstrates that projections of impacts of future change need to account for spatial and seasonal variability of key ecological processes within ocean ecosystems.

Southern Nevada ecosystem stressors [Chapter 2

Science.gov (United States)

Burton K. Pendleton; Jeanne C. Chambers; Mathew L. Brooks; Steven M. Ostoja

2013-01-01

Southern Nevada ecosystems and their associated resources are subject to a number of global and regional/local stressors that are affecting the sustainability of the region. Global stressors include elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and associated changes in temperature and precipitation patterns and amounts, solar radiation, and nutrient cycles (Smith and...

Inconsistencies of Breast Cancer Risk Factors between the Northern and Southern Regions of Vietnam

Science.gov (United States)

Trieu, Phuong Dung (Yun); Mello-Thoms, Claudia; Peat, Jennifer K; Do, Thuan Doan; Brennan, Patrick C

2017-10-26

Background: In recent decades the amount of new breast cancer cases in the southern region has been reported to increase more rapidly than in the northernVietnam. The aim of this study is to compare breast cancer risk factors between the two regions and establish if westernized influences have an impact on any reported differences. Method: Data was collected from the two largest oncology hospitals in the north and the south of Vietnam in 2015. Breast density, demographic, reproductive and lifestyle data of 127 cases and 269 controls were collected in the north and 141 cases and 250 controls were gathered from the south. Baseline differences in factors between cases and age-matched controls in each region were assessed using chi-square tests and independent t-tests. Odds ratios (OR) for independent risk factors for breast cancer were obtained from conditional logistic regression. Results: In northern Vietnam significantly increased risks in developing breast cancer were observed for women with age at first menstrual period less than 14 years old (OR=2.1; Pcup of coffee per day (OR=1.9; P<0.05) were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Conclusion: We found that women living in the south had some breast cancer associations, such as increased mammographic density and coffee consumption, which are closer to the risks in westernized populations than women in the north. Creative Commons Attribution License

A zinc, copper and citric acid biocomplex shows promise for control of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca in olive trees in Apulia region (southern Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca is associated with the “olive quick decline syndrome” in the Apulia region of southern Italy. To investigate control of this phytopathogen, a compound containing zinc and copper complexed with citric-acid hydracids (Dentamet®) was evaluated for in vitro ...

Separatist Conflicts in the ASEAN Region: Comparing Southern Thailand and Mindanao

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Kathrin Rupprecht

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines two cases of separatist conflict, namely the conflict in Southern Thailand and the conflict in the southern Philippines. Both conflicts have been long-lasting, extremely violent, and embedded in ethnic and religious sentiments. The comparison shows that there are structural analogies in both conflict cases that indicate similar root causes. State-internal conflicts of this scale are not purely a matter of national politics. States and non-state actors have influenced – and are still influencing – both separatist conflicts in various ways and towards different outcomes. It becomes apparent that non-traditional security issues that are linked to state-internal conflicts demand a more proactive role of ASEAN in the field of conflict management.

[Variability of Cytochrome b Gene and Adjacent Section of Gene tRNA-Thr of Mitochondrial DNA in the Northern Mole Vole Ellobius talpinus (Mammalia, Rodentia)].

Science.gov (United States)

Bogdanov, A S; Lebedev, V S; Zykov, A E; Bakloushinskaya, I Yu

2015-12-01

The Northern mole vole E. talpinus, despite its wide distribution, is characterized by a stable karyotype (2n = NF = 54) and slight morphological polymorphism. We made a preliminary analysis of a mitochondrial DNA fragment to clarify the level of genetic variation and differentiation of E. talpinus. the complete cytochrome b gene (cyt b, 1143 bp) and a short part of its flanking gene tRNA-Thr (27 bp) were sequenced. We studied 16 specimens from eight localities, including Crimea, the Volga region, the Trans-Volga region, the Southern Urals, Western Siberia, and Eastern Turkmenistan. Mitotypes of E. talpinus were distributed on a ML dendrogram as four distinct clusters: the first (I) contains specimens from the Crimea, the second (II) combines individuals from the Volgograd region and the left bank of the Don River, the third (III) includes those from the Trans-Volga region, Southern Urals, the left bank of the Irtysh River, and Eastern Turkmenistan; the fourth (IV) are those from the right bank of the Irtysh River. These clusters were relatively distant from each other: the mean genetic distances (D) between them are 0.021-0.051. The Eastern mole vole E. tancrei differed from E. talpinus population groups 1.5-2 times more (D = 0.077-0.084) than the latter did among themselves. Such variations indirectly proved the unity of E. talpinus, despite its high intraspecific differentiation for the studied fragment of mitochondrial DNA. This differentiation apparently occurred because of the long isolation of E. talpinus population groups, which was due to geographic barriers, in particular, the large rivers that completely separate the species range meridionally (the Volga River, the Irtysh River). Sociality and underground lifestyle could accelerate the fixation of mutations in disjunct populations. The composition and distribution of intraspecific groups of E. talpinus, which were identified in analysis of the mitochondrial DNA fragment, do not coincide with the

Development of a decision support system for setting up a wind energy policy across the Walloon Region (southern Belgium)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lejeune, P. [Unit of Forest and Nature Management, Gembloux Agricultural University, 2, Passage des Deportes, B-5030 Gembloux (Belgium); Feltz, C. [Unit of Soil, Ecology and Territory, Gembloux Agricultural University, 2, Passage des Deportes, B-5030 Gembloux (Belgium)

2008-11-15

Wallonia (the region covering southern Belgium) is committed to making a significant increase in its wind-powered electricity production capacity by 2010. Therefore, a decision support system designed to evaluate and map environmental and landscape constraints fundamental to the building of wind farms was developed for the whole Walloon Region (17,000 km{sup 2}). This system is a geodatabase using 40 criteria (landscape or environmental) corresponding to three constraint levels (exclusion, highly sensitive and sensitive). This geodatabase also has analysis functions developed in the ArcGIS 9 software environment that are used to update the overall constraints map, to analyse sensitivity with respect to constraint criteria-defining parameters as well as to perform full diagnostic studies on wind farm projects. (author)

Early Permian conodont fauna and stratigraphy of the Garden Valley Formation, Eureka County, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Wardlaw, Bruce R.; Gallegos, Dora M.; Chernykh, Valery V.; Snyder, Walter S.

2015-01-01

The lower part of the Garden Valley Formation yields two distinct conodont faunas. One of late Asselian age dominated by Mesogondolella and Streptognathodus and one of Artinskian age dominated by Sweetognathus with Mesogondolella. The Asselian fauna contains the same species as those found in the type area of the Asselian in the southern Urals including Mesogondolella dentiseparata, described for the first time outside of the Urals. Apparatuses for Sweetognathus whitei, Diplognathodus stevensi, and Idioprioniodus sp. are described. The Garden Valley Formation represents a marine pro-delta basin and platform, and marine and shore fan delta complex deposition. The fan-delta complex was most likely deposited from late Artinskian to late Wordian. The Garden Valley Formation records tremendous swings in depositional setting from shallow-water to basin to shore.

Species of conservation concern and environmental stressors: local regional and global effects: Chapter 6 in The Southern Nevada Agency Partnership science and research synthesis: science to support land management in southern Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Ostoja, Steven M.; Brooks, Matthew L.; Chambers, Jeanne C.; Pendleton, Burton

2013-01-01

Species conservation has traditionally been based on individual species within the context of their requisite habitat, which is generally defined as the communities and ecosystems deemed necessary for their presence. Conservation decisions are hampered by the fact that environmental stressors that poetically threaten the persistence of species can operate at organizational levels larger than the habitat or home range of a focal species. Resource managers must therefore simultaneously consider local, regional, and/or global scale stressors for effective conservation and management of species of concern. The wide ranging effects associated with global stressors such as climate change may exceed or exacerbate the effects of local or regional stressors, they still need to understand the direct and interactive effects of global stressors and ultimately how they affect the lands they manage. Conservation of species in southern Nevada is further complication by the fact that the region includes one of the largest and fastest growing urban centers in North America. To accomplish the goal of species conservation, resource managers must identify actionable management options that mitigate the effects of local and regional stressor in the context of the effects of global stressors that are beyond their control. Species conservation is typically focused on a subset often referred to as species of conservation concern that have either demonstrated considerable decline or are naturally rare or have limited distributions. Stressors can directly and indirectly impact species in a variety of ways and through a diversity of mechanisms. Some stressors have been more intense in the past (e.g., livestock grazing) whereas other are now only emerging as new stressors (e.g., solar energy development, climate change). The primary stressors affecting southern Nevada ecosystems are listed in table 2.1 and reviewed in detail in Chapter 2. This chapter addresses Dub-goal 1.4 in the SNAP

GPS measurements of crustal deformation across the southern Arava Valley section of the Dead Sea Fault and implications to regional seismic hazard assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Hamiel, Yariv; Masson, Frederic; Piatibratova, Oksana; Mizrahi, Yaakov

2018-01-01

Detailed analysis of crustal deformation along the southern Arava Valley section of the Dead Sea Fault is presented. Using dense GPS measurements we obtain the velocities of new near- and far-field campaign stations across the fault. We find that this section is locked with a locking depth of 19.9 ± 7.7 km and a slip rate of 5.0 ± 0.8 mm/yr. The geodetically determined locking depth is found to be highly consistent with the thickness of the seismogenic zone in this region. Analysis of instrumental seismic record suggests that only 1% of the total seismic moment accumulated since the last large event occurred about 800 years ago, was released by small to moderate earthquakes. Historical and paleo-seismic catalogs of this region together with instrumental seismic data and calculations of Coulomb stress changes induced by the 1995 Mw 7.2 Nuweiba earthquake suggest that the southern Arava Valley section of the Dead Sea Fault is in the late stage of the current interseismic period.

[Tobacco cultivationin Salento (Apulia Region, Southern Italy) from 1929 to 1993: possible health implications].

Science.gov (United States)

Montinari, Maria Rosa; Minelli, Pierluca; Gianicolo, Emilio Antonio Luca

2018-01-01

The Province of Lecce (Apulia Region, Southern Italy) is one of the Italian areas where the prevalence of respiratory disease and cancer of the respitartory tract is very high. Through a descriptive analysis of the historical series of tobacco culture indicators, a historical reconstruction of the development of tobacco cultivation in Salento (the area where the Province of Lecce is located) is here presented, in order to provide an additional element of knowledge on potential risk factors for respiratory diseases and cancers. Data regarding extensions in hectares and crop productions in the province of Lecce, in Apulia, and in Italy are from the Chamber of commerce of Lecce province and from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat). From 1929 to 1993, the province of Lecce provided between 75% and 94% of the tobacco cultivated in Apulia Region and 25% of the national tobacco until 1945. Since the late Sixties, a growing increase in annual average production was observed, reaching 21.5 quintals per hectare in 1991 in Salento. This large tobacco production, associated with intensive use of pesticides, could be an element to be observed in analytical studies as a determining potential for the high prevalence of respiratory diseases and pulmonary cancers in the male population of the province of Lecce.

Construction of a restriction map and gene map of the lettuce chloroplast small single-copy region using Southern cross-hybridization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchelson, K R

1996-01-01

The small single-copy region (SSCR) of the chloroplast genome of many higher plants typically contain ndh genes encoding proteins that share homology with subunits of the respiratory-chain reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) dehydrogenase complex of mitochondria. A map of the lettuce chloroplast SSCR has been determined by Southern cross-hybridization, taking advantage of the high degree of homology between a tobacco small single-copy fragment and a corresponding lettuce chloroplast fragment. The gene order of the SSCR of lettuce and tobacco chloroplasts is similar. The cross-hybridization method can rapidly create a primary gene map of unknown chloroplast fragments, thus providing detailed information of the localization and arrangement of genes and conserved open reading frame regions.

Renewable energy resource and technology assessment: Southern Tier Central Region, New York, New York. Renewable Energy Resource Inventory; renewable energy technology handbook; technology assessment workbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-12-01

The Renewable Energy Resource Inventory contains regional maps that record the location of renewable energy resources such as insolation, wind, biomass, and hydropower in the Southern Tier Central Region of New York State. It contains an outline of a process by which communities can prepare local renewable energy resource inventories using maps and overlays. The process starts with the mapping of the resources at a regional scale and telescopes to an analysis of resources at a site-specific scale. The resource inventory presents a site analysis of Sullivan Street Industrial Park, Elmira, New York.

Geochemical Aspects of Formation of Large Oil Deposits in the Volga-Ural Sedimentary Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Plotnikova, I.; Nosova, F.; Pronin, N.; Nosova, J.; Budkevich, T.

2012-04-01

The study of the rocks domanikoid type in the territory of the Ural-Volga region has an almost century-long history, beginning with the first studies of A.D. Archangelsky in the late 20's of last century. But nevertheless the question of the source of oil that formed the industrial deposits of Volga-Ural oil and gas province (OGP), where Romashkinskoye oil field occupies a special place, remains unresolved and topical. According to the sedimentary-migration theory of origin of oil and gas, it is supposed that the primary source of hydrocarbons in this area are the deposits of domanikoid type that contain a large ammount of sapropel organic matter (OM). Semiluki (domanik) horizon of srednefranski substage of the Upper Devonian is considered to be a typical domanikoid stratum. Investigation of the OM of the rocks and oils of the sedimentary cover on the basis of chromato-mass spectrometry method allows us to study the correlations between rock and oil and to assess the location (or absence) of the sources of hydrocarbons in the Paleozoic sedimentary cover. The results of geochemical study of dispersed organic matter (DOM) of rocks from Semiluksky horizon of the Upper Devonian and of the oil from Pashiysky horizon of the Middle Devonian form the basis of this paper. The objectives of this study were the following: to determine the original organic matter of the rocks, which would indicate the conditions of sedimentation of the supposed rock-oil sources; the study of chemofossils (biomarkers) in oil from Pashiyskiy horizon; and the identification of genetic association of DOM rocks from Semiluksky horizon with this oil on the basis of the oil-DOM correlation. The study of biomarkers was carried out with the help of chromato-mass spectrometry in the Laboratory of Geochemistry of Fossil Fuels (Kazan Federal University). In this study we used several informative parameters characterizing the depositional environment, the type of source OM and its maturity: STER / PENT, h

Creating regional consensus for starting school later: a physician-driven approach in southern Maine.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Tracey Ann; Indorf, Christopher; Klak, Thomas

2017-12-01

In April 2016, several contiguous school districts and an independent high school academy in southern Maine voted simultaneously to start school later, beginning with the 2016-17 academic year. They became Maine's first school districts to implement the American Academy of Pediatrics' 1 and the American Medical Association's 2 health policy recommendations that middle and high schools should not start before 8:30 AM. Local physicians' presentations to school staff and parents on the medical evidence of the health benefits of a later start solidified early consensus. The action required special permission from the Maine Municipal Association to hold a joint school board vote, impacted approximately 6500 students across the region, resulted in no increase in busing costs, and took 8 months to implement after the first formal school board discussions. Copyright © 2017 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prediction of Climatic Change for the Next 100 Years in the Apulia Region, Southern Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mladen Todorovic

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The impact of climate change on water resources and use for agricultural production has become a critical question for sustainability. Our objective was investigate the impact of the expected climate changes for the next 100 years on the water balance variations, climatic classifications, and crop water requirements in the Apulia region (Southern Italy. The results indicated that an increase of temperature, in the range between 1.3 and 2,5 °C, is expected in the next 100 years. The reference evapotranspiration (ETo variations would follow a similar trend; as averaged over the whole region, the ETo increase would be about 15.4%. The precipitation will not change significantly on yearly basis although a slight decrease in summer months and a slight increase during the winter season are foreseen. The climatic water deficit (CWD is largely caused by ETo increase, and it would increase over the whole Apulia region in average for more than 200 mm. According to Thornthwaite and Mather climate classification, the moisture index will decrease in the future, with decreasing of humid areas and increasing of aridity zones. The net irrigation requirements (NIR, calculated for ten major crops in the Apulia region, would increase significantly in the future. By the end of the 21st Century, the foreseen increase of NIR, in respect to actual situation, is the greatest for olive tree (65%, wheat (61%, grapevine (49%, and citrus (48% and it is slightly lower for maize (35%, sorghum (34%, sunflower (33%, tomato (31%, and winter and spring sugar beet (both 27%.

Southern Annular Mode drives multicentury wildfire activity in southern South America.

Science.gov (United States)

Holz, Andrés; Paritsis, Juan; Mundo, Ignacio A; Veblen, Thomas T; Kitzberger, Thomas; Williamson, Grant J; Aráoz, Ezequiel; Bustos-Schindler, Carlos; González, Mauro E; Grau, H Ricardo; Quezada, Juan M

2017-09-05

The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is the main driver of climate variability at mid to high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, affecting wildfire activity, which in turn pollutes the air and contributes to human health problems and mortality, and potentially provides strong feedback to the climate system through emissions and land cover changes. Here we report the largest Southern Hemisphere network of annually resolved tree ring fire histories, consisting of 1,767 fire-scarred trees from 97 sites (from 22 °S to 54 °S) in southern South America (SAS), to quantify the coupling of SAM and regional wildfire variability using recently created multicentury proxy indices of SAM for the years 1531-2010 AD. We show that at interannual time scales, as well as at multidecadal time scales across 37-54 °S, latitudinal gradient elevated wildfire activity is synchronous with positive phases of the SAM over the years 1665-1995. Positive phases of the SAM are associated primarily with warm conditions in these biomass-rich forests, in which widespread fire activity depends on fuel desiccation. Climate modeling studies indicate that greenhouse gases will force SAM into its positive phase even if stratospheric ozone returns to normal levels, so that climate conditions conducive to widespread fire activity in SAS will continue throughout the 21st century.

Geochronology of granitoids and gnaisses from the Rio Maria, Mata Geral farm and Itacaiunas river regions, southern Para, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montalvao, R.M.G. de; Tassinari, C.C.G.; Bezerra, P.E.L.; Prado, P.

1984-01-01

Granitoids and gneisses occurring at Rio Maria, Mata Geral farm and Itacaiunas river regions, southern Para, underwent radiometric age determinations by Rb/Sr method using conventional isochrons. Results obtained from the Rio Maria and Mata Geral farm regions allowed te establishment of a reference 2,600 my Rb/Sr isochron with an initial Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratio of 0.7009. This result resembles the one obtained for granitoids and gneisses hosting rocks of the Serra do Inaja greenstone belt, located some what south of this area, which yielded, in Rb/Sr isochron, a radiometric age of 2,696 + - 79 my with an initial Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratio of 0.701. Results obtained from the Itacaiunas river region allowed for the establishment of a Rb/Sr referential isochron of 2,480 + - 40 my wth an initial Sr 87 /.Sr 86 ratio of 0.7072. Due to low initial ratios, it is suggested that the rocks from the Rio Maria, Mata Geral farm and Serra do Inaja regions formed from Mafic crust or superior mantle reworking, while those from the Itacaiunas river region, due to a high initial ratio, result from reworking at high crustal levels. (Author) [pt

Regional characteristics of land use in northeast and southern Blue Ridge province: Associations with acid-rain effects on surface-water chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liegel, L.; Cassell, D.; Stevens, D.; Shaffer, P.; Church, R.

1991-01-01

The Direct/Delayed Response Project (DDRP) is one of several being conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to assess risk to surface waters from acidic deposition in the eastern United States. In one phase of DDRP, land use, wetland, and forest cover data were collected for statistical samples of 145 northeast lakes and 35 southern Blue Ridge Province stream watersheds. Land use and other data were then extrapolated from individual to target watershed populations in both study regions. Project statistical design allows summarization of results for various subsets of the target population. The article discusses results and implications of the land-use and land-cover characterization for both regions

WEB-GIS FOR ASSESSING SCENARIOS OF USING NATURAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL OF SOUTHERN MACROREGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. E. Аrkhipova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the use of geoinformation technologies, including “cloud” services, for assessing the natural resource potential of the southern macroregion. The toolkit has been proposed to evaluate various scenarios of social and economic development of the regions and the associated use of the natural resource potential of the southern region. The geoinformation system for the regions of the South of Russia and a web application have been created.The methodology for assessing scenarios for usind the natural resource potential of the southern macroregion have been developed using ArcGis Online cloud technology. This technology allows you to run and maintain software and store data on the server by creating a private or combined cloud. Web-GIS are created on the basis of the interactive designer Story Map Journal℠.The relations in the nature-society system are evaluated on the example of two subjects of the Russian Federation that are part of the Southern and North-Caucasian federal districts – Rostov region and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Investigation of the natural resource potential of the southern regions of Russia involves comparing the available reserves of a particular type of resources and the degree of their use. A comparison of the potential resource reserve and the real intensity of its consumption in the municipalities of these regions formed the basis for interpreting the obtained estimates of the efficiency of using of the natural resource potential. Quantitative estimates are obtained at the level of municipal regions using developed software tools that combine GIS, databases and mathematical modeling.

Santa Ana Winds of Southern California: Their Climatology and Variability Spanning 6.5 Decades from Regional Dynamical Modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Guzman-Morales, J.; Gershunov, A.

2015-12-01

Santa Ana Winds (SAWs) are an integral feature of the regional climate of Southern California/Northern Baja California region. In spite of their tremendous episodic impacts on the health, economy and mood of the region, climate-scale behavior of SAW is poorly understood. In the present work, we identify SAWs in mesoscale dynamical downscaling of a global reanalysis product and construct an hourly SAW catalogue spanning 65 years. We describe the long-term SAW climatology at relevant time-space resolutions, i.e, we developed local and regional SAW indices and analyse their variability on hourly, daily, annual, and multi-decadal timescales. Local and regional SAW indices are validated with available anemometer observations. Characteristic behaviors are revealed, e.g. the SAW intensity-duration relationship. At interdecadal time scales, we find that seasonal SAW activity is sensitive to prominent large-scale low-frequency modes of climate variability rooted in the tropical and north Pacific ocean-atmosphere system that are also known to affect the hydroclimate of this region. Lastly, we do not find any long-term trend in SAW frequency and intensity as previously reported. Instead, we identify a significant long-term trend in SAW behavior whereby contribution of extreme SAW events to total seasonal SAW activity has been increasing at the expense of moderate events. These findings motivate further investigation on SAW evolution in future climate and its impact on wildfires.

El Niño-Southern Oscillation and water resources in the headwaters region of the Yellow River: links and potential for forecasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Lü

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This research explores the rainfall-El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO and runoff-ENSO relationships and examines the potential for water resource forecasting using these relationships. The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI, Niño1.2, Niño3, Niño4, and Niño3.4 were selected as ENSO indicators for cross-correlation analyses of precipitation and runoff. There was a significant correlation (95% confidence level between precipitation and ENSO indicators during three periods: January, March, and from September to November. In addition, monthly streamflow and monthly ENSO indictors were significantly correlated during three periods: from January to March, June, and from October to December (OND, with lag periods between one and twelve months. Because ENSO events can be accurately predicted one to two years in advance using physical modeling of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system, the lead time for forecasting runoff using ENSO indicators in the Headwaters Region of the Yellow River could extend from one to 36 months. Therefore, ENSO may have potential as a powerful forecasting tool for water resources in the headwater regions of Yellow River.

Climate Risk in Southern and Eastern Africa's Hydropower Generation

Science.gov (United States)

Dalin, C.; Conway, D.; Landman, W.; Osborn, T.

2016-12-01

Hydropower comprises a major proportion of electricity production in southern and eastern Africa and is undergoing rapid expansion. Hydropower production in both regions is exposed to high levels of climate variability and regional linkages are strong, yet an understanding of aggregate climate risk is lacking. Here we map regions of coherent precipitation variability with current and planned (2030) hydropower sites, river basin configuration and regional energy grids to assess aggregate exposure to hydropower supply disruption. If fully implemented hydropower will be increasingly concentrated in the Nile basin in eastern Africa and the Zambezi basin in southern Africa. Regions of similar rainfall variability show close alignment with the main sites of hydropower. Future concentration of hydropower will greatly increase the concurrent risk of climate related electricity supply disruption. Nascent electricity sharing mechanisms could mitigate risk but face considerable political and infrastructural challenges.

Regional disaster risk management strategies for food security: Probing Southern African Development Community channels for influencing national policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Happy M. Tirivangasi

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Natural disasters and food insecurity are directly interconnected. Climate change related hazards such as floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, droughts and other risks can weaken food security and severely impact agricultural activities. Consequently, this has an impact on market access, trade, food supply, reduced income, increased food prices, decreased farm income and employment. Natural disasters create poverty, which in turn increases the prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition. It is clear that disasters put food security at risk. The poorest people in the community are affected by food insecurity and disasters; hence, there is a need to be prepared as well as be in a position to manage disasters. Without serious efforts to address them, the risks of disasters will become an increasingly serious obstacle to sustainable development and the achievement of sustainable development goals, particularly goal number 2 ‘end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’. In recent years, countries in southern Africa have experienced an increase in the frequency, magnitude and impact of climate change–related hazards such as droughts, veld fire, depleting water resources and flood events. This research aims to reveal Southern African Development Community disaster risk management strategies for food security to see how they an influence and shape policy at the national level in southern Africa. Sustainable Livelihood approach was adopted as the main theoretical framework for the study. The qualitative Analysis is based largely on data from databases such as national reports, regional reports and empirical findings on the disaster management–sustainable development nexus.

Experience of Assessment of Current Radiation Doses to the Population from the Contamination of the Techa River (The Urals, Russia)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolshakov, V. N.; Pozolotina, V. N.; Cabianca, T.; Simmonds, J.

2001-01-01

Full text: Significant quantities (about 108 PBq) of liquid radioactive waste were discharged to the Techa River in the Urals region of Russia in the early years of operation of the MAYK Production Association (1948-1951). The compositions of the releases consisted mainly of medium and long-lived beta emitting radionuclides: 103,106 Ru (28 PBq), 95 Zr/Nb (14 PBq), 137 Cs (13 PBq), 90 Sr (12 PBq). More than 120,000 people received high levels of radiation as a result of this contamination of the Techa River. The objective of this study is preliminary assessment of current and future radiation doses received by the population living in the affected area (Brodokalmak village). The assessment made use of local habit data and measurements of radionuclides concentrations in food and water, supplemented by model predictions whenever measurements in environmental materials were not available. Exposure pathways included in the calculations were ingestion of foods and external exposure to gamma radiation from radionuclides deposited on the banks of the river. Doses were calculated for three age groups (adults, children, infants) and two types of individuals: average consumers and users of the river banks, and individuals most likely to receive the highest dose. Two scenarios were considered in the calculations. In the first scenario is was assumed that access to the river banks, for both people and cattle, was restricted. For the second scenario, doses were calculated assuming that restrictions were lifted and people had free access to all areas in the village. With restrictions the highest dose estimated was 0.56 mSv/y for the most exposed adults and without restrictions this increased to 3.4 mSv/y. (author)

Southern African Development Research Network | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... to craft policies for fruitful integration into the global economy and inclusive growth. ... The grant will support a broad-based research network, the Southern Africa ... researchers based in regional institutions; transforming selected institutions ...

Prevalence of penicillin and erythromycin resistance among invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates reported by laboratories in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region.

Science.gov (United States)

Borg, M A; Tiemersma, E; Scicluna, E; van de Sande-Bruinsma, N; de Kraker, M; Monen, J; Grundmann, H

2009-03-01

Information about the epidemiology of resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae within southern and eastern countries of the Mediterranean region is incomplete, as reports have been sporadic and difficult to compare. Over a 36-month period, from 2003 to 2005, the ARMed project collected 1298 susceptibility test results of invasive isolates of S. pneumoniae from blood and spinal fluid cultures routinely processed within 59 participating laboratories situated in Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. Overall, 26% (335) of isolates were reported as non-susceptible to penicillin, with the highest proportions being reported from Algeria (44%) and Lebanon (40%). During the same time period, the highest proportions of pneumococci that were not susceptible to erythromycin were reported from Malta (46%) and Tunisia (39%). Proportions of dual non-susceptibility in excess of 5% were found in laboratories in Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. ARMed data on the antimicrobial resistance epidemiology of S. pneumoniae in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region provided evidence of high rates of resistance, especially to penicillin. This evidence calls for a greater focus on the identification of relevant drivers of resistance and on the implemention of effective practices in order to address the problem of resistence.

REC profile 2: Southern Electric

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1995-01-01

A review is presented of South Electric plc, one of the United Kingdom's Regional Electricity Companies (RECs), at present distributing electric power in central southern England. Known in financial markets as an efficient performer, the staff reductions and changes of employment conditions undertaken to achieve this end are described. The need to maintain success in its core business, while simultaneously seeking diversification, drive the company's keen competitive edge. The relationship between the RECs and the electricity regulator is also explored, as Southern Electric considers a friendly merger with another REC to improve its market competitiveness in price terms. (UK)

Ambient Noise Tomography at Regional and Local Scales in Southern California using Rayleigh Wave Phase Dispersion and Ellipticity

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, E.; Lin, F. C.; Qiu, H.; Wang, Y.; Allam, A. A.; Clayton, R. W.; Ben-Zion, Y.

2017-12-01

Rayleigh waves extracted from cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise have proven useful in imaging the shallow subsurface velocity structure. In contrast to phase velocities, which are sensitive to slightly deeper structure, Rayleigh wave ellipticity (H/V ratios) constrains the uppermost crust. We conduct Rayleigh wave ellipticity and phase dispersion measurements in Southern California between 6 and 18 second periods, computed from multi-component ambient noise cross-correlations using 315 stations across the region in 2015. Because of the complimentary sensitivity of phase velocity and H/V, this method enables simple and accurate resolution of near-surface geological features from the surface to 20km depth. We compare the observed H/V ratios and phase velocities to predictions generated from the current regional models (SCEC UCVM), finding strong correspondence where the near-surface structure is well-resolved by the models. This includes high H/V ratios in the LA Basin, Santa Barbara Basin and Salton Trough; and low ratios in the San Gabriel, San Jacinto and southern Sierra Nevada mountains. Disagreements in regions such as the Western Transverse Ranges, Salton Trough, San Jacinto and Elsinore fault zones motivate further work to improve the community models. A new updated 3D isotropic model of the area is derived via a joint inversion of Rayleigh phase dispersions and H/V ratios. Additionally, we examine azimuthal dependence of the H/V ratio to ascertain anisotropy patterns for each station. Clear 180º periodicity is observed for many stations suggesting strong shallow anisotropy across the region including up to 20% along the San Andreas fault, 15% along the San Jacinto Fault and 25% in the LA Basin. To better resolve basin structures, we apply similar techniques to three dense linear geophone arrays in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino basins. The three arrays are composed by 50-125 three-component 5Hz geophones deployed for one month each with 15-25km

Forest fires and air quality issues in southern Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Ana Isabel Miranda; Enrico Marchi; Marco Ferretti; Millán M. Millán

2009-01-01

Each summer forest fires in southern Europe emit large quantities of pollutants to the atmosphere. These fires can generate a number of air pollution episodes as measured by air quality monitoring networks. We analyzed the impact of forest fires on air quality of specific regions of southern Europe. Data from several summer seasons were studied with the aim of...

Marketing in Southern Ghana: towards a planning typology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D.M. Dunham (David)

1974-01-01

textabstractThere are a number of strong historical and practical grounds for a regional planner operating in Southern Ghana to study marketing structures. The recent history of the area confirms an important axiom of regional theory, namely that the organisation of marketing has a considerable

Is the Southern Benguela a significant regional sink of CO2?

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Gregor, L

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This study was undertaken to characterise the seasonal cycle of air–sea fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO(sub2)) in the southern Benguela upwelling system off the South African west coast. Samples were collected from six monthly cross-shelf cruises...

Stand structure and dead wood characterization in cork forest of Calabria region (southern Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barreca L

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The cork forests are one the most interesting forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean area. Their distribution and ecological characteristics have undergone a significant transformation after the significant changes following the development and establishment of agricultural crops. Currently, only a few stands, which survive in hard to reach places, prove the wide spread distribution of this species was also in the recent past. This study describes the stand structure of some cork forests in Calabria region (southern Italy. In order, to characterize the vertical structure Latham index has been applied, while for the description of the horizontal distribution NBSI group indices has been used. Detailed surveys on dead wood were also conducted determining the occurring volume and its decay stage according to the decay classes system proposed by Hunter. The aim of this study is to provide guidelines for sustainable management of cork forests, improving and promoting the structural complexity and functional efficiency of these forest stands.

A Fragment of Ophiolite Assemblage of Kasargi Lake Area: East-Urals Megazone, Northern Part of the Southern Urals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. E. Saveliev

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The results of study of rocks of ophiolite assemblage exposed on the east coast of Kasargi Lake are presented. The ophiolite assemblage is formed with the serpentinised ultramafic rocks of dunite-harzburgite association, which are residual and the shlirenbanded gabbros with a number of later dikes of diabases and porphiritic gabbros. The chemical content of mafic and ultramafic rocks of Kasargi massif shows that they are likely the equivalent rocks encountered within the backarc spreading ridges.

Beads of the Birsk Burial Ground in the Context of the Antiquities of the Early Middle Ages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruslanova Rida Raisovna

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Early Middle Ages in the Southern Urals is the time of the tumultuous ethnocultural processes, that is an echo of the era of the Great Migration. At this time, the bakhmutinskaya culture was formed (3rd-8th centuries A.D.. The Birsk burial ground is one of the unique monuments of this period – it appeared in the second third of the 1st millennium B.C. The Birsk burial ground is a fiducial monument for studying history, ethno-cultural, migration and trade processes occurring in the Southern Urals, and the content in the composition of grave goods makes it supplies an important source in the study of early medieval history of East European forest. A variety of types of beads from the Birsk burial ground allows suggesting that the necropolis was one of the major points on the caravan trade and exchange path. According to it, the exchange could take place on imports of products (furs, honey, metals. The article describes a set of beads from the Birsk burials – evidence of a monument in the system of early medieval antiquities (3rd-8th centuries A.D.. The complex morpho-technological research dealt with 218 complexes containing 6705 instances of beads and jewelry. The feature of the monument is the presence of necklaces jewelry from all the selected materials along with the material. The Birsk burial ground demonstrates various forms of products, colors used glass for monochrome and polychrome decorations. The presented work can be used in the study of material culture and trade exchange operations of the medieval population of the Urals.

Marketing of organic products in southern Poland

OpenAIRE

Kuboń Maciej; Olech Elżbieta

2018-01-01

The article presents an outline of the issue concerning formulation of a marketing strategy and the possibility of using the knowledge on consumers' preferences for organic development of farms and their products on the example of southern Poland. The paper analyses the distribution process of organic food in the aspect of developing innovative marketing strategies. The studies were performed in 50 organic farms and on the example of 100 respondents from the region of southern Poland. In the ...

THE STRATEGY FOR CREATION OF THE MODERN CONCEPT OF INTEGRATIVE-HOLISTIC EDUCATION (A CASE STUDY OF MINING SCHOOLS OF THE URALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. K. Chapaev

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The relevance of the problem under study is caused by the contradiction between the necessity of fundamentalization of education, raising it to the level of the requirements of integral human development and the deepening disintegration of all sides of his life, including vocational education.The aim of the present publication is philosophical and pedagogical reflection and development of mechanisms for mainstreaming integrative-holistic approach when building a hypothetical model of professional education, aimed at provision of strategic turn towards more balanced (dialectical approach to the traditional values of education. In particular, it concerns the experience of mining schools of the Urals.Methodology and research methods. A leading approach to the study of this problem is an integrative-holistic approach (PPI that can identify the holistic nature of the pedagogical system in which: a inter-transformation of cooperated parts occurs not at the expense of each other, but on behalf of each other part; b the existence of common points of contact between the cooperated components is complemented by the coexistence of the opposite, sometimes mutually exclusive sides of life; c the idea of the priority of the whole is in harmony with the idea of polycentrism.Results and scientific novelty. The study shows the failure of the monopoly of the prevailing doctrine of competence-based education as a means for the successful resolution of global problems of reintegration of human existence and therefore postulated the necessity of antinomization (diversification of education. The authors make the original hypothesis of the construction of the concept of vocational education on the basis of the reconstruction of experience of the mining schools of the Urals and prove the prospectivity of integrative-holistic strategy of reconstruction of educational experience in modern conditions. The system of technological and methodological support of

The structure of spruce-fir tree stands mortality under impact of the Middle Ural copper smelter emissions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. E. Bergman

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The influence of industrial pollution on mortality values (dead fallen wood and dead standing trees and its distribution by degrees of decomposition were investigated in spruce-fir forest stands in the vicinity of the Middle Ural copper smelter (the city of Revda, Sverdlovsk region. The total mortality and mortality in each size category did not depend on the distance to the source of pollution. At the same time, the amount of dead fallen wood was significantly greater (1.9 times in the polluted area (2 and 4 km from the smelter as compared with the background territory (30 km from the smelter. Mortality proportion out of the total number of the trees (both live and dead did not differ significantly between the sites, although this parameter tended to increase nearer the smelter. The distribution of mortality by size categories revealed significant differences between background territory and site with average level of contamination, as well as background territory and highly contaminated site. Observed differences are associated with an increased proportion of lesser mortality near the smelter (by 15 % and 12 % as compared with areas of background and middle levels of contamination, respectively, as well as because of double-declining of medium- and large-sized mortality near the smelter. The distribution of the living tree stands by size categories also has a connection with level of contamination. The average diameters of the living tree stand and the elements of coarse woody debris (dead fallen wood and dead standing trees do not differ significantly between sites with different levels of contamination. For the small-sized dead fallen wood, the proportion of weakly decomposed stems increased with the level of pollution, while proportion of strongly decomposed stems decreased. The distribution of medium- and large-sized dead fallen wood on the stages of decomposition does not vary between sites with different levels of pollution.

Eikonal Tomography of the Southern California Plate Boundary Region

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, H.; Ben-Zion, Y.; Zigone, D.; Lin, F. C.

2016-12-01

We use eikonal tomography to derive directionally-dependent phase velocities of surface waves for the plate boundary region in southern CA sensitive to the approximate depth range 1-20 km. Seismic noise data recorded by 346 stations in the area provide a spatial coverage with 5-25 km typical station spacing and period range of 1-20 s. Noise cross-correlations are calculated for vertical component data recorded in year 2014. Rayleigh wave group and phase travel times between 2 and 13 sec period are derived for each station pair using frequency-time analysis. For each common station, all available phase travel time measurements with sufficient signal to noise ratio and envelope peak amplitude are used to construct a travel time map for a virtual source at the common station location. By solving the eikonal equation, both phase velocity and propagation direction are evaluated at each location for each virtual source. Isotropic phase velocities and 2-psi azimuthal anisotropy and their uncertainties are determined statistically using measurements from different virtual sources. Following the method of Barmin et al. (2001), group velocities are also inverted using all the group travel times that pass quality criteria. The obtained group and phase dispersions of Rayleigh waves are then inverted on a 6 x 6 km2 grid for local 1D piecewise shear wave velocity structures using the procedure of Herrmann (2013). The results agree well with previous observations of Zigone et al. (2015) in the overlapping area. Clear velocity contrasts and low velocity zones are seen for the San Andreas, San Jacinto, Elsinore and Garlock faults. We also find 2-psi azimuthal anisotropy with fast directions parallel to geometrically-simple fault sections. Details and updated results will be presented in the meeting.

Southern pulpwood production, 1962

Science.gov (United States)

Joe F. Christopher; Martha E. Nelson

1963-01-01

Pulpwood production in the south rose to an all-time high of 25,586,300 cords in 1962-58 percent of the Nation's total. At the year's end, 80 southern pulpmills were operating; their combined daily pulping capacity was more than 52,000 tons. Nine mills outside the region were using wood grown in the South.

Regional Phenomena of Vertical Deformation in Southern Part of Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Sarsito, D. A.; Susilo; Andreas, H.; Pradipta, D.; Gumilar, I.

2018-02-01

Distribution of present-day horizontal and vertical deformation across the Southern Part of Indonesia at Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara now days can be determined from continuous and campaign types of GNSS GPS data monitoring. For vertical deformation in this case we use the continuous types since they are give better quality of data consistency compare to campaign type. Continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) are maintaining by Geospatial Information Agency for more than a decade. The vertical displacements or velocity rates are estimated from time series analysis after multi-baseline GPS processing using GAMIT-GLOBK software with respect to the latest International Terrestrial Reference Frame. The result shows some interesting phenomena where the northern part of research area majority have negative value that may indicate land subsidence with or without tectonic subsidence combination. In the middle part, the uplift phenomena are clearly shown and in the southern part show combine pattern between uplift and subsidence. The impacts of those phenomena would be discuss also in this paper since many population and infrastructure are located in the areas that will need more protection planning to reduce the negative impact such as earthquake and flooding.

Impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower systems in central and southern Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamududu, Byman H.

2012-11-15

Climate change is altering hydrological processes with varying degrees in various regions of the world. This research work investigates the possible impacts of climate change on water resource and Hydropower production potential in central and southern Africa. The Congo, Zambezi and Kwanza, Shire, Kafue and Kabompo basins that lie in central and southern Africa are used as case studies. The review of climate change impact studies shows that there are few studies on impacts of climate change on hydropower production. Most of these studies were carried out in Europe and north America and very few in Asia, south America and Africa. The few studies indicate that southern Africa would experience reduction in precipitation and runoff, consequently reductions in hydropower production. There are no standard methods of assessing the resulting impacts. Two approaches were used to assess the impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower. One approach is lumping changes on country or regional level and use the mean climate changes on mean annual flows as the basis for regional changes in hydropower production. This is done to get an overall picture of the changes on global and regional level. The second approach is a detailed assessment process in which downscaling, hydrological modelling and hydropower simulations are carried out. The possible future climate scenarios for the region of central and southern Africa depicted that some areas where precipitation are likely to have increases while other, precipitation will reduce. The region northern Zambia and southern Congo showed increases while the northern Congo basin showed reductions. Further south in southern African region, there is a tendency of decreases in precipitation. To the west, in Angola, inland showed increases while towards the coast highlighted some decreases in precipitation. On a global scale, hydropower is likely to experience slight changes (0.08%) due to climate change by 2050. Africa is

The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part II

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Junnilainen, Jari; Karsholt, Ole; Nupponen, Kari

discussed: Stomopteryx mongolica Povolný, 1975, Stomopteryx remissella (Zeller, 1847) and Aristotelia subericinella (Duponchel, 1843); each of them seems to contain unresolved taxonomic problems. Three species are reported for the first time from Europe: Neofriseria mongolinella Piskunov, 1987, Stomopteryx...... mongolica Povolný, 1975, and Anarsia sibirica Park & Ponomarenko, 1996. The following species are newly recorded from Russia: Apatetris kinkerella (Snellen, 1876), Catatinagma trivittellum Rebel, 1903, Megacraspedus balneariellus (Chrétien, 1907), Megacraspedus niphorrhoa (Meyrick, 1926), Chrysoesthia...

Response of runoff and soil loss to reforestation and rainfall type in red soil region of southern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zhigang; Ouyang, Zhiyun; Li, Fengrui; Zheng, Hua; Wang, Xiaoke

2010-01-01

To evaluate the long-term effects of reforestation types on soil erosion on degraded land, vegetation and soil properties under conventional sloping farmland (CSF) and three different reforestation types including a Pinus massoniana secondary forest (PSF), an Eucommia ulmoides artificial economic forest (EEF) and a natural succession type forest (NST), were investigated at runoff plot scale over a six-year period in a red soil region of southern China. One hundred and thirty erosive rainfall events generating runoff in plots were grouped into four rainfall types by means of K-mean clustering method. Erosive rainfall type I is the dominant rainfall type. The amount of runoff and the soil loss under erosive rainfall type III were the most, followed by rain-fall type II, IV and I. Compared with CSF treatment, reforestation treatments decreased the average annual runoff depth and the soil loss by 25.5%-61.8% and 93.9%-96.2% during the study period respectively. Meanwhile, runoff depth at PSF and EEF treatments was significantly lower than that in NST treatment, but no significant difference existed in soil erosion modulus among the three reforestation treatments. This is mainly due to the improved vegetation properties (i.e., vegetation coverage, biomass of above- and below-ground and litter-fall mass) and soil properties (i.e., bulk density, total porosity, infiltration rate and organic carbon content) in the three reforestation treatments compared to CSF treatment. The PSF and EEF are recommended as the preferred reforestation types to control runoff and soil erosion in the red soil region of southern China, with the NST potentially being used as an important supplement.

Shallow Carbon Export from an Iron fertilised Plankton Bloom in the Southern Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, R.; Pollard, R.; Morris, P.; Statham, P.; Moore, C. M. M.; Lucas, M.

2009-04-01

Some regions of the global ocean, notably the Southern Ocean, have high levels of macronutrients yet low levels of chlorophyll (the high nutrient, low chlorophyll or HNLC condition). Numerous artificial iron fertilization experiments conducted in the Southern Ocean have resulted in enhanced phytoplankton biomass and macronutrient drawdown. However the subsequent long-term biogeochemical consequences of such iron fertilization are unclear due in part to the limited size and duration of such experiments. An alternative way to assess the affect of iron over the Southern Ocean biological carbon pump is to observe the evolution of plankton production in regions of the Southern Ocean where shallow topography and Ocean currents interact to promote to release terrestrial iron into HNLC waters. During 2004-5 RRS Discovery conduced a complex programme of observations in such a region around the Crozet Islands in the SW Indian Ocean. The results of this programme, focussing on a quantitative estimate of carbon export per unit iron addition, will be presented.

Analysis of energy poverty intensity from the perspective of the regional administration: Empirical evidence from households in southern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scarpellini, Sabina; Rivera-Torres, Pilar; Suárez-Perales, Inés; Aranda-Usón, Alfonso

2015-01-01

The current economic situation has increased the number of households in Europe experiencing restrictions and/or limitations of affordability of energy services, demonstrating the urgent need to intervene in those extreme cases in which households suffer the daily consequences of what is internationally defined as energy poverty. In such a context, this paper presents the results obtained in a case study characterising a sample of 615 households with demonstrated energy poverty in the region of Aragón (Spain). In parallel, the intensity of energy poverty in the studied cases is examined by measuring the percentage of energy expenditures with respect to income in the households that suffer it, and a descriptive analysis of the main determinants of energy poverty in the homes studied is presented as well as the policy implication at regional level. - Highlights: • New approach to energy poverty through the collaboration with social services. • Regular data collection systems on energy poverty are needed at the regional level. • Household's conditions in accredited energy poverty have been measured. • A comprehensive analysis of the energy poverty at Regional level in the Southern Europe.

CHANGING PATTERNS OF ORANGE JUICE CONSUMPTION IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES

OpenAIRE

Love, Leigh Ann; Sterns, James A.; Spreen, Thomas H.; Wysocki, Allen F.

2006-01-01

From 2000 through 2004, per capita orange juice purchases decreased by 12.3 percent while the popularity and media coverage of low-carbohydrate dieting exploded. Content analysis was used to count selected Southern region newspaper articles topically related to low-carbohydrate dieting, the Atkins diet, and the South Beach diet. This data was included in a Southern region orange juice demand model, where purchase data served as the independent variable and proxy for consumer demand of orange ...

Impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower systems in central and southern Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamududu, Byman H

2012-11-15

Climate change is altering hydrological processes with varying degrees in various regions of the world. This research work investigates the possible impacts of climate change on water resource and Hydropower production potential in central and southern Africa. The Congo, Zambezi and Kwanza, Shire, Kafue and Kabompo basins that lie in central and southern Africa are used as case studies. The review of climate change impact studies shows that there are few studies on impacts of climate change on hydropower production. Most of these studies were carried out in Europe and north America and very few in Asia, south America and Africa. The few studies indicate that southern Africa would experience reduction in precipitation and runoff, consequently reductions in hydropower production. There are no standard methods of assessing the resulting impacts. Two approaches were used to assess the impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower. One approach is lumping changes on country or regional level and use the mean climate changes on mean annual flows as the basis for regional changes in hydropower production. This is done to get an overall picture of the changes on global and regional level. The second approach is a detailed assessment process in which downscaling, hydrological modelling and hydropower simulations are carried out. The possible future climate scenarios for the region of central and southern Africa depicted that some areas where precipitation are likely to have increases while other, precipitation will reduce. The region northern Zambia and southern Congo showed increases while the northern Congo basin showed reductions. Further south in southern African region, there is a tendency of decreases in precipitation. To the west, in Angola, inland showed increases while towards the coast highlighted some decreases in precipitation. On a global scale, hydropower is likely to experience slight changes (0.08%) due to climate change by 2050. Africa is

Density structure of the cratonic mantle in southern Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Artemieva, Irina; Vinnik, Lev P.

2016-01-01

contributions of the both factors to surface topography in the cratons of southern Africa. Our analysis takes advantage of the SASE seismic experiment which provided high resolution regional models of the crustal thickness.We calculate the model of density structure of the lithospheric mantle in southern Africa...... that mantle residual (dynamic) topography may be associated with the low-density region below the depth of isostatic compensation. A possible candidate is the low velocity layer between the lithospheric base and the mantle transition zone, where a temperature anomaly of 100-200. °C in a ca. 100-150. km thick...... layer may explain the observed reduction in Vs velocity and may produce ca. 0.5-1.0. km to the regional topographic uplift....

From Gibraltar through Levant and from Maghreb through the Southern Latin European Countries or about culture and management in the Mediterranean Sea Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amedeo ISTOCESCU

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Bordering the southern coast of Europe, the eastern part of the Middle East and northern Africa, representing the most appropriate environment for the development of cultural, social and economic of the maritime regions, influencing decisively the culture and the entire life of the inhabitants in a lot of bordering countries, ensuring the achievement of a natural maritime transportation way between eastern Levantine character and western pragmatism of our ancient continent, or between Maghreb, and the Latin world, especially in southern Europe, the Mediterranean Sea has an another treasure, yet poorly known and only partially recovered, with a history of over six thousands of years, with people proud of their history, culture, customs and traditions with unique cities, impressive by the mixture of cultures and races, its islands

Geochemical and isotopic characterization of groundwater resources in El Hicha region, Gabes, southern Tunisia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben Hamouda, M.F.; Ben Kraiem, H.; Mahjoub, A.; Labidi, B.; Ghoudi, R.; Hamrouni, H.; Nasr, H.; Zouari, K.; Froehlich, K.; Sajjad, M.I.; Garcia-Agudo, E.

2002-01-01

The groundwater study area is located in the southern part of Tunisia at some kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, about 35 km north of the town Gabes. It extends over 300 km 2 and is bounded by the Gulf of Gabes in the East, El Hamma in the West and Skhira in the North. This region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of about 180 mm and a potential evaporation of 2130 mm per year. The groundwater resources of the region are represented by four hydrogeological units: the Continental Intercalaire, the Sfax Aquifer, the Jeffara Aquifer and the shallow aquifer of El Hicha. The dug wells and boreholes used for groundwater abstraction in this region reach depths between a few meters and about 170m. The upper zone of 50m depths is formed by sandy clay and gypsum, and the lower zone of 50 to 70m depths consists of sandy layers. The salinity measured in groundwater samples from this area is rather high; the values range between 5 and 7g/l. Since the water will be used to grow salt-tolerant plants, it is important to know the origin of the groundwater (to assess its availability) and the source(s) of its salinity. To this end, groundwater samples for isotope and chemical analysis were taken from 6 dug wells, 6 boreholes (one of them is an artesian well), a spring and a drainage canal. Each site was sampled in March, June, July, September and December 1999. During these sampling campaigns, in-situ measurements of temperature and electrolytic conductivity were carried out

Diversity and distribution patterns in high southern latitude sponges.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel V Downey

Full Text Available Sponges play a key role in Antarctic marine benthic community structure and dynamics and are often a dominant component of many Southern Ocean benthic communities. Understanding the drivers of sponge distribution in Antarctica enables us to understand many of general benthic biodiversity patterns in the region. The sponges of the Antarctic and neighbouring oceanographic regions were assessed for species richness and biogeographic patterns using over 8,800 distribution records. Species-rich regions include the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, Eastern Weddell Sea, Kerguelen Plateau, Falkland Islands and north New Zealand. Sampling intensity varied greatly within the study area, with sampling hotspots found at the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, north New Zealand and Tierra del Fuego, with limited sampling in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas in the Southern Ocean. In contrast to previous studies we found that eurybathy and circumpolar distributions are important but not dominant characteristics in Antarctic sponges. Overall Antarctic sponge species endemism is ∼43%, with a higher level for the class Hexactinellida (68%. Endemism levels are lower than previous estimates, but still indicate the importance of the Polar Front in isolating the Southern Ocean fauna. Nineteen distinct sponge distribution patterns were found, ranging from regional endemics to cosmopolitan species. A single, distinct Antarctic demosponge fauna is found to encompass all areas within the Polar Front, and the sub-Antarctic regions of the Kerguelen Plateau and Macquarie Island. Biogeographical analyses indicate stronger faunal links between Antarctica and South America, with little evidence of links between Antarctica and South Africa, Southern Australia or New Zealand. We conclude that the biogeographic and species distribution patterns observed are largely driven by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the timing of past continent

Theoretical and methodological approaches to the diagnosis of the region's state material reservation system status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandr Anatol'evich Kuklin

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the structural components of the state reserve theory with elements of decomposition and tools for studies in separate directions. The system of state material reserve, which includes the following components: economy - people - natural environment - is a necessary and sufficient reserve for their operation and development which is having the ability to respond to short-, medium- and long-term fluctuations in the economy and consider the risks of adverse factors appliance. It was determined that a necessary and sufficient reserve for the operation and development of the region is a major factor in ensuring its economic security. A method of diagnostics for the state material reserve system within the economic security of the region is presented and described. The approbation of the methodological apparatus for the assessment of the state material reserve by the example on the Ural Federal District was done.

Integrated Vulnerability and Impacts Assessment for Natural and Engineered Water-Energy Systems in the Southwest and Southern Rocky Mountain Region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tidwell, Vincent C. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Wolfsberg, Andrew [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Macknick, Jordan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Middleton, Richard [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-01-01

In the Southwest and Southern Rocky Mountains (SWSRM), energy production, energy resource extraction, and other high volume uses depend on water supply from systems that are highly vulnerable to extreme, coupled hydro-ecosystem-climate events including prolonged drought, flooding, degrading snow cover, forest die off, and wildfire. These vulnerabilities, which increase under climate change, present a challenge for energy and resource planners in the region with the highest population growth rate in the nation. Currently, analytical tools are designed to address individual aspects of these regional energy and water vulnerabilities. Further, these tools are not linked, severely limiting the effectiveness of each individual tool. Linking established tools, which have varying degrees of spatial and temporal resolution as well as modeling objectives, and developing next-generation capabilities where needed would provide a unique and replicable platform for regional analyses of climate-water-ecosystem-energy interactions, while leveraging prior investments and current expertise (both within DOE and across other Federal agencies).

Inputs of heavy metals due to agrochemical use in tobacco fields in Brazil's Southern Region.

Science.gov (United States)

Zoffoli, Hugo José Oliveira; do Amaral-Sobrinho, Nelson Moura Brasil; Zonta, Everaldo; Luisi, Marcus Vinícius; Marcon, Gracioso; Tolón-Becerra, Alfredo

2013-03-01

Only a few studies have assessed the joint incorporation of heavy metals into agricultural systems based on the range of agrochemicals used on a specific agricultural crop. This study was conducted to assess the heavy metals input through application of the main agrochemicals used in Brazilian tobacco fields. A total of 56 samples of different batches of 5 fertilizers, 3 substrates, 8 insecticides, 3 fungicides, 2 herbicides, and 1 growth regulator commonly used in the cultivation of tobacco in Brazil's Southern Region were collected from 3 warehouses located in the States of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Paraná. The total As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn content of the samples was then determined and compared with the regulations of different countries and information found in the available literature. The fertilizers were identified as the primary source of heavy metals among the agrochemicals used. Application of pesticides directly to the shoots of tobacco plants contributed very little to the supply of heavy metals. The agrochemicals used in Brazilian tobacco fields provide lower inputs of the main heavy metals that are nonessential for plants than those registered in the international literature for the majority of crop fields in different regions of the world.

Spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and attribution of extreme regional low temperature event

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Tai-Chen; Zhang Ke-Quan; Wang Xiao-Juan; Zhang Wen-Yu; Su Hai-Jing; Gong Zhi-Qiang

2015-01-01

Based on an objective identification technique for regional low temperature event (OITRLTE), the daily minimum temperature in China has been detected from 1960 to 2013. During this period, there were 60 regional extreme low temperature events (ERLTEs), which are included in the 690 regional low temperature events (RLTEs). The 60 ERLTEs are analyzed in this paper. The results show that in the last 50 years, the intensity of the ERLTEs has become weak; the number of lasted days has decreased; and, the affected area has become small. However, that situation has changed in this century. In terms of spatial distribution, the high intensity regions are mainly in Northern China while the high frequency regions concentrate in Central and Eastern China. According to the affected area of each event, the 60 ERLTEs are classified into six types. The atmospheric circulation background fields which correspond to these types are also analyzed. The results show that, influenced by stronger blocking highs of Ural and Lake Baikal, as well as stronger southward polar vortex and East Asia major trough at 500-hPa geopotential height, cold air from high latitudes is guided to move southward and abnormal northerly winds at 850 hPa makes the cold air blow into China along diverse paths, thereby forming different types of regional extreme low temperatures in winter. (paper)

Forecasting sea fog on the coast of southern China

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, H.; Huang, B.; Liu, C.; Tu, J.; Wen, G.; Mao, W.

2016-12-01

Forecast sea fog is still full of challenges. We have performed the numerical forecasting of sea fog on the coast of southern China by using the operational meso-scale regional model GRAPES (Global/Regional assimilation and prediction system). The GRAPES model horizontal resolution was 3km and with 66 vertical levels. A total of 72 hours forecasting of sea fog was conducted with hourly outputs over the sea fog event. The results show that the model system can predict reasonable characteristics of typical sea fog events on the coast of southern China. The scope of sea fog coincides with the observations of meteorological stations, the observations of the Marine Meteorological Science Experiment Base (MMSEB) at Bohe, Maoming and satellite products of sea fog. The goal of this study is to establish an operational numerical forecasting model system of sea fog on the coast of southern China.

The Southern Tyrrhenian subduction system: recent evolution and neotectonic implications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Argnani

2000-06-01

Full Text Available Geological and geophysical data have been integrated with the aim of presenting a new evolutionary model for the Southern Tyrrhenian and adjacent regions. The Southern Tyrrhenian backarc basin opened within a plate convergence regime because of sinking and rollback of the oceanic Ionian lithosphere. On the basis of seismological observations, I infer that the sinking slab was torn apart on either side in the last 2 Ma and this process controlled the neotectonics of the Southern Apennines - Tyrrhenian region. On the north-eastern side the slab broke off from NW to SE and this process triggered volcanism and NW-SE extension along the Eastern Tyrrhenian margin, and strike-slip tectonics along NW-SE trending faults in Northern Calabria. On the south-western side the slab broke off from W to E along the Aeolian Island alignment, although the tear has currently been reoriented along the NNW-SSE Malta escarpment. During its sinking the subducted slab also detached from the overriding plate, favouring the wedging of the asthenosphere between the two plates and the regional uplift of the Calabrian arc and surroundings. This regional uplift promoted gravitational instability within the orogenic wedge, particularly towards low topography areas; the large-scale sliding of the Calabrian arc towards the Ionian basin can be the cause of CW rotation and graben formation in Calabria. Also the E-dipping extensional faults of the Southern Apennines can be related to accommodation of vertical motions within the fold-and-thrust belt. The pattern of recent seismicity reflects this neotectonics where crustal-scale gravity deformation within the orogenic wedge is responsible for extensional earthquakes in Calabria and the Southern Apennines, whereas Africa plate convergence can account for compressional earthquakes in Sicily.

Neonicotinoid pesticides in drinking water in agricultural regions of southern Ontario, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Sultana, Tamanna; Murray, Craig; Kleywegt, Sonya; Metcalfe, Chris D

2018-07-01

Because of the persistence and solubility of neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs), there is concern that these compounds may contaminate sources of drinking water. The objective of this project was to evaluate the distribution of NNIs in raw and treated drinking water from selected municipalities that draw their water from the lower Great Lakes in areas of southern Ontario, Canada where there is high intensity agriculture. Sites were monitored using Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Samplers (POCIS) and by collecting grab samples at six drinking water treatment plants. Thiamethoxam, clothianidin and imidacloprid were detected in both POCIS and grab samples of raw water. The frequency of detection of NNIs was much lower in treated drinking water, but some compounds were still detected at estimated concentrations in the low ng L -1 range. Thiamethoxam was detected in one grab sample of raw drinking water at a mean concentration of 0.28 μg L -1 , which is above the guidelines for drinking water recommended in some jurisdictions, including the European Union directive on pesticide levels water intended for human consumption. Further work is required to determine whether contamination of sources of drinking water with this class of insecticides is a global problem in agricultural regions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Incidence and mortality of children and teenagers with AIDS: challenges in the southern region of Brazil].

Science.gov (United States)

Melo, Márcio Cristiano de; Ferraz, Rosemeire de Olanda; Nascimento, Juliana Luporini do; Donalisio, Maria Rita

2016-12-01

The objective of this study is to describe the time trend of coefficients of incidence and mortality associated with AIDS in children and adolescents. An ecological time trend study was conducted among individuals under 14 living in the regional context of high incidence of AIDS - Porto Alegre and the State of Rio Grande do Sul - from 1996 to 2012. For this purpose, a segmented regression model was adjusted for age categories and place of residence. AIDS morbidity and mortality indicators in Porto Alegre are still higher than those registered in the State, the southern region and other areas of the country. In Porto Alegre, 59.1% of cases (371/628) occurred in children under four years of age, the incidence showed peaks in the period and the mortality dropped from 9 to 2 per 100,000. A significant decreasing in annual percentage change in mortality was observed especially in children under 1 year of age in Porto Alegre. This drop may be related to prevention and treatment of pregnant women. The challenge is to identify possible fragilities of the STD/AIDS Program and its vulnerable points in order to make specific interventions and investments with a greater impact potential.

Distance associated with marriage migration in a northern and a southern region of Bangladesh: an empirical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Md Mizanur; Akter, Shamima; Rahman, Ataur

2010-09-01

This paper investigates the distribution of distance associated with marriage migration in the northern region of Rajshahi and the southern region of Khulna in Bangladesh. The study was conducted in 2007 on 2250 respondents who had migrated due to marriage. Of the wide variety of curves that fitted the distance-marriage/contact data, three are discussed: Pareto, exponential, and Pareto-exponential. Logistic regression models were used to identify the covariates of marriage distance migration. In general, the three functions work better for marriages, whereas Pareto-exponential functions are a superior fit for migrations and marriage distance. The models disclose that the distribution of distance is significantly associated with marriage migration (pPareto-exponential model was 100% stable and its shrinkage was 0.000000125. The main covariates associated with short-distance marriage migration were respondent's education, father's education and religion, whereas age at the time of marriage did not play a significant role in marriage migration. The risk of short-distance migration was greater in higher- than lower-educated Muslim families.

Representing people, constituting worlds: multiple 'Neolithics' in the Southern Balkans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stratos Nanoglou

2009-12-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the diverse iconographic landscapes of the southern Balkans, especiallythose populated by human figurines. The main premise is that material culture is a resource upon which agents draw to situate themselves in the world. In this way, regional traits are deemed particularly important for the constitution of specific subjectivities, in contrast to a generic ‘Neolithic individual’, and at the same time, for the constitution of specific local worlds as opposed to an all-encompassing world that is merely experienced differently. I attempt to provide an example of such regional traits that would have constituted different contexts for agency during the Neolithic and focus on the differences between two regions within the southern Balkans, regions that do not remain the same in the course of time.

An assessment of landscape changes in Mediterranean region. A case study of Algarve, southern Portugal.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Helena; Martins, Fernando; Valín, Maria Isabel; Moreno, Ângela; Pedras, Celestina

2014-05-01

Currently, the application of remote sensing techniques is a key factor for the planning and land management to ensure a sustainable development of the regions. Algarve, the most southern region of Portugal is characterized by its Mediterranean climate. This climate is described by irregular precipitation throughout the year with drought during summer months. The regional climate has a profound influence on its particular vegetation and wildlife turning it in a unique habitat for many species. Since the 1970s, increases in tourism have greatly affected the coastal region. This has led to great landscape pressure and urban growth, resulting in population increases due to local economic prosperity. Across Algarve, in recent decades, lawns areas have grown dramatically. Landscape water use has increased mainly because homeowners seldom pay the 'true' cost of water. Continued expansion of water supply is not, therefore, a viable management option in the future, particularly given the anticipated increase in the frequency and severity of droughts in Portugal. There's a need to change the perception of landscape relative to water consumption. Algarve needs a sustainable, 'demand-led' approach to water resource management, focusing on conserving water and using it more efficiently. The water resources available in the Algarve are limited, and decisions regarding sustainability must consider the environment. The aim of this study is to apply the remote sensing techniques to analyse the landscape changes in three municipalities of Algarve (Portugal): Albufeira, Loulé and Faro. The three Landsat images, from April 9th 1973 (Landsat1), March 23th 1989 (Landsat5) and April 26th 2013 (Landsat8) were used. The images were classified based on the radiometric information and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). These range of dates of the Landsat images used allowed for the differentiation between classes of the landscape. Land use and water resources are closely

One new species of Amphinemura and description of the female of A. ancistroidea Li & Yang (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of southern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Raorao; Yang, Ding; Wang, Guoquan; Li, Weihai

2017-06-11

A new nemourid species, Amphinemura yao sp. nov. is described from the Daoyao Mountains of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of southern China. Amphinemura ancistroidea Li & Yang, 2007 is newly recorded from Guangxi and the female is described for the first time including the internal vaginal complex. The new species is compared with related taxa.

Mercury bioaccumulation in Southern Appalachian birds, assessed through feather concentrations

Science.gov (United States)

Rebecca Hylton Keller; Lingtian Xie; David B. Buchwalter; Kathleen E. Franzreb; Theodore R Simons

2014-01-01

Mercury contamination in wildlife has rarely been studied in the Southern Appalachians despite high deposition rates in the region. From 2006 to 2008 we sampled feathers from 458 birds representing 32 species in the Southern Appalachians for total mercury and stable isotope ä 15N. Mercury concentrations (mean ± SE) averaged 0.46...

The Signature of Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in Antarctic Precipitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Gareth J; Thompson, David W J; van den Broeke, Michiel R

2017-11-28

We provide the first comprehensive analysis of the relationships between large-scale patterns of Southern Hemisphere climate variability and the detailed structure of Antarctic precipitation. We examine linkages between the high spatial resolution precipitation from a regional atmospheric model and four patterns of large-scale Southern Hemisphere climate variability: the southern baroclinic annular mode, the southern annular mode, and the two Pacific-South American teleconnection patterns. Variations in all four patterns influence the spatial configuration of precipitation over Antarctica, consistent with their signatures in high-latitude meridional moisture fluxes. They impact not only the mean but also the incidence of extreme precipitation events. Current coupled-climate models are able to reproduce all four patterns of atmospheric variability but struggle to correctly replicate their regional impacts on Antarctic climate. Thus, linking these patterns directly to Antarctic precipitation variability may allow a better estimate of future changes in precipitation than using model output alone.

Simulating Coral Reef Connectivity in the Southern Red Sea

KAUST Repository

Wang, Yixin

2018-05-01

Connectivity is an important component of coral reef studies for its role in the enhancement of ecosystem resilience. Previous genetic structure and physical circulation studies in the Red Sea reveal a homogeneity within the coral reef complexes in the central and northern parts of the basin. Yet, genetic isolation and relatively low connectivity has been observed in the southern Red Sea. Raitsos et al. (2017) recently hypothesized that coral reefs in the southern Red Sea are more connected with regions outside the basin, rather than with the central and northern Red Sea. Using a physical circulation approach based on a 3-D backward particle tracking simulation, we further investigate this hypothesis. A long-term (> 10 years), very high resolution (1km) MITgcm simulation is used to provide detailed information on velocity in the complex coastal regions of the Red Sea and the adjacent narrow Bab-El-Mandeb Strait. The particle tracking simulation results support the initial hypothesis that the coastal regions in the southern Red Sea exhibit a consistently higher connectivity with the regions outside the Bab-El-Mandeb Strait, than with the central and northern Red Sea. Substantially high levels of connectivity, facilitated by the circulation and eddies, is observed with the coastal regions in the Gulf of Aden. A strong seasonality in connectivity, related to the monsoon-driven circulation, is also evident with the regions outside of the Red Sea. The winter surface intrusion plays a leading role in transporting the particles from the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean into the Red Sea, while the summer subsurface intrusion also supports the transport of particles into the Red Sea in the intermediate layer. In addition, the connectivity with the central and northern Red Sea is more affected by the intensity of the eddies. Evidence also suggests that potential connectivity exists between the coastal southern Red Sea and the coasts of Oman, Socotra, Somalia, Kenya

Regional trade and the nutrition transition: opportunities to strengthen NCD prevention policy in the Southern African Development Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Thow, Anne Marie; Sanders, David; Drury, Eliza; Puoane, Thandi; Chowdhury, Syeda N; Tsolekile, Lungiswa; Negin, Joel

2015-01-01

Addressing diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will require a multisectoral policy approach that includes the food supply and trade, but implementing effective policies has proved challenging. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has experienced significant trade and economic liberalization over the past decade; at the same time, the nutrition transition has progressed rapidly in the region. This analysis considers the relationship between regional trade liberalization and changes in the food environment associated with poor diets and NCDs, with the aim of identifying feasible and proactive policy responses to support healthy diets. Changes in trade and investment policy for the SADC were documented and compared with time-series graphs of import data for soft drinks and snack foods to assess changes in imports and source country in relation to trade and investment liberalization. Our analysis focuses on regional trade flows. Diets and the burden of disease in the SADC have changed since the 1990s in parallel with trade and investment liberalization. Imports of soft drinks increased by 76% into SADC countries between 1995 and 2010, and processed snack foods by 83%. South Africa acts as a regional trade and investment hub; it is the major source of imports and investment related to these products into other SADC countries. At the same time, imports of processed foods and soft drinks from outside the region - largely from Asia and the Middle East - are increasing at a dramatic rate with soft drink imports growing by almost 1,200% and processed snack foods by 750%. There is significant intra-regional trade in products associated with the nutrition transition; however, growing extra-regional trade means that countries face new pressures in implementing strong policies to prevent the increasing burden of diet-related NCDs. Implementation of a regional nutrition policy framework could complement the SADC's ongoing commitment to regional trade policy.

Comprehensive Assessment of Industries Economic Security: Regional Aspect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktoriya Viktorovna Akberdina

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article investigates the interaction of the forms of network integration and the development of complimentary production networks in terms of economic security. Currently, the most developed countries are occurring a transition from the industrial society to the information society. The industry 4.0 as the continuous communication at all levels and characterizes the production processes, in which technologies and devices interact automatically in the value-added chain. Under these new conditions, the former types of organizational structures of economic entities are not sufficiently effective. Therefore, there is a need to create new, modern types of organizational structures. One of these types is network structures. Currently, they are becoming characteristic features of the new economy. Regional economic security depends on internal and external threats, which lead to unstable situations. Regional crisis situations are influenced by both macroeconomic crisis processes and local features of economic and social development, as well as the resource potential, geographical location, national and other peculiarities. The article defines the specific characteristics of the regions of the Ural Federal District, as well as the current situation of the regional economy and threats to the region. The authors have evaluated the economic security of complimentary production networks at the regional level. This evaluation has revealed the interconnection between complimentary production networks and the construction industry in the national economy. We have defined the economic security of complimentary production networks and specified the concept of complimentary production networks. The research findings may be applied by organizations as a new perspective of industry using network forms related to economic security

Southern State Radiological Transportation Emergency Response Training Course Summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-09-01

The Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) is an interstate compact organization that serves 16 states and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico with information and analysis in energy and environmental matters. Nuclear waste management is a topic that has garnered considerable attention in the SSEB region in the last several years. Since 1985, SSEB has received support from the US Department of Energy for the regional analysis of high-level radioactive waste transportation issues. In the performance of its work in this area, SSEB formed the Advisory Committee on High-Level Radioactive Materials Transportation, which comprises representatives from impacted states and tribes. SSEB meets with the committee semi-annually to provide issue updates to members and to solicit their views on activities impacting their respective states. Among the waste transportation issues considered by SSEB and the committee are shipment routing, the impacts of monitored retrievable storage, state liability in the event of an accident and emergency preparedness and response. This document addresses the latter by describing the radiological emergency response training courses and programs of the southern states, as well as federal courses available outside the southern region

Water resources management in southern Europe: clues for a research and innovation based regional hypercluster.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, G; Brito, A G; Nogueira, R; Ureña, M; Fernández, D; Luque, F J; Alcácer, C

2013-04-15

European countries are facing increasing pressures on their water resources despite stringent regulations and systematic efforts on environmental protection. In this context, research and innovation play a strategic role reinforcing the efficiency of water policies. The present study provides a multilevel assessment of research and innovation practices in the field of water resource management in southern European countries and regions (more specifically; Cyprus, Albania, Poitou-Charentes in France, Andalusia in Spain and the North of Portugal). The analysis was based on a strategic framework aimed at gaining an insight of the current constraints, as well as of the existing and future technological solutions for a better water resource management. The triple helix model proved to be a useful analytical framework for assessing the efforts of different groups towards a common goal. The analysis proved the existence of a significant evolution in the use of technological tools to assist decision-making processes in integrated river basin management in all regions. Nevertheless, the absence of formal channels for knowledge and data exchange between researchers and water resource managers complicates the formers involvement in the decision-making process regarding water allocation. Both researchers and consultants emphasize the low availability of data, together with the need to advance on water resource economics as relevant constraints in the field. The SWOT analysis showed similar concerns among the participating regions and provided a battery of effective projects that resulted in the preparation of a Joint Action Plan. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the projected regional sea-ice changes in the Southern Ocean during the twenty-first century

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lefebvre, W.; Goosse, H. [Universite Catholique de Louvain, Institut d' Astronomie et de Geophysique Georges Lemaitre, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)

2008-01-15

Using the set of simulations performed with atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) for the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR4), the projected regional distribution of sea ice for the twenty-first century has been investigated. Averaged over all those model simulations, the current climate is reasonably well reproduced. However, this averaging procedure hides the errors from individual models. Over the twentieth century, the multimodel average simulates a larger sea-ice concentration decrease around the Antarctic Peninsula compared to other regions, which is in qualitative agreement with observations. This is likely related to the positive trend in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) index over the twentieth century, in both observations and in the multimodel average. Despite the simulated positive future trend in SAM, such a regional feature around the Antarctic Peninsula is absent in the projected sea-ice change for the end of the twenty-first century. The maximum decrease is indeed located over the central Weddell Sea and the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas. In most models, changes in the oceanic currents could play a role in the regional distribution of the sea ice, especially in the Ross Sea, where stronger southward currents could be responsible for a smaller sea-ice decrease during the twenty-first century. Finally, changes in the mixed layer depth can be found in some models, inducing locally strong changes in the sea-ice concentration. (orig.)

Dose reconstruction for the Urals population. Joint Coordinating Committee on Radiation Effects Research, Project 1.1 -- Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Degteva, M.O.; Drozhko, E.; Anspaugh, L.R.; Napier, B.A.; Bouville, A.C.; Miller, C.W.

1996-02-01

This work is being carried out as a feasibility study to determine if a long-term course of work can be implemented to assess the long-term risks of radiation exposure delivered at low to moderate dose rates to the populations living in the vicinity of the Mayak Industrial Association (MIA). This work was authorized and conducted under the auspices of the US-Russian Joint Coordinating Committee on Radiation Effects Research (JCCRER) and its Executive Committee (EC). The MIA was the first Russian site for the production and separation of plutonium. This plant began operation in 1948, and during its early days there were technological failures that resulted in the release of large amounts of waste into the rather small Techa River. There were also gaseous releases of radioiodines and other radionuclides during the early days of operation. In addition, there was an accidental explosion in a waste storage tank in 1957 that resulted in a significant release. The Techa River Cohort has been studied for several years by scientists from the Urals Research Centre for Radiation Medicine and an increase in both leukemia and solid tumors has been noted

Dose reconstruction for the Urals population. Joint Coordinating Committee on Radiation Effects Research, Project 1.1 -- Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Degteva, M.O. [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk (Russian Federation); Drozhko, E. [Branch 1 of Moscow Biophysics Inst., Ozersk (Russian Federation); Anspaugh, L.R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Napier, B.A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Bouville, A.C. [National Cancer Inst., Bethesda, MD (United States); Miller, C.W. [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA (United States)

1996-02-01

This work is being carried out as a feasibility study to determine if a long-term course of work can be implemented to assess the long-term risks of radiation exposure delivered at low to moderate dose rates to the populations living in the vicinity of the Mayak Industrial Association (MIA). This work was authorized and conducted under the auspices of the US-Russian Joint Coordinating Committee on Radiation Effects Research (JCCRER) and its Executive Committee (EC). The MIA was the first Russian site for the production and separation of plutonium. This plant began operation in 1948, and during its early days there were technological failures that resulted in the release of large amounts of waste into the rather small Techa River. There were also gaseous releases of radioiodines and other radionuclides during the early days of operation. In addition, there was an accidental explosion in a waste storage tank in 1957 that resulted in a significant release. The Techa River Cohort has been studied for several years by scientists from the Urals Research Centre for Radiation Medicine and an increase in both leukemia and solid tumors has been noted.

Winter precipitation and cyclones in the Mediterranean region: future climate scenarios in a regional simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Lionello

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Future climate projections show higher/lower winter (Dec-Jan-Feb precipitation in the northern/southern Mediterranean region than in present climate conditions. This paper analyzes the results of regional model simulations of the A2 and B2 scenarios, which confirm this opposite precipitation change and link it to the change of cyclone activity. The increase of the winter cyclone activity in future climate scenarios over western Europe is responsible for the larger precipitation at the northern coast of the basin, though the bulk of the change is located outside the Mediterranean region. The reduction of cyclone activity inside the Mediterranean region in future scenarios is responsible for the lower precipitation at the southern and eastern Mediterranean coast.

A general approach to transform a lake model for one radionuclide (radiocesium) to another (radiostrontium) and critical model tests using data for four Ural lakes contaminated by the fallout from the Kyshtym accident in 1957

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haakanson, Lars E-mail: lars.hakanson@natgeog.uu.se; Sazykina, Tatiana G.; Kryshev, Ivan I

2002-07-01

This paper presents results of a model test carried out within the framework of the COMETES project (EU). The aim of the work was to change the structure of the MOIRA lake model for radiocesium so that it can be applied more generally for, in principle, all types of radionuclides and heavy metals. This general lake model is used within the MOIRA decision support system (DSS; MOIRA and COMETES are acronyms for EU-projects). The model is based on a set of differential equations and a specific modelling structure. It incorporates all important fluxes to, from and within lakes in a general manner. Yet the model is driven by a minimum of variables accessible from standard maps and monitoring programs. The model can be separated into two parts, a general part with equations applicable for all types of water pollutants and a substance-specific part. This model has previously been validated for {sup 137}Cs from many lakes covering a wide domain and yielded excellent predictive power. The alterations discussed in this work are meant to be general and radiostrontium is used as a typical element. Radiostrontium is known to be more mobile than radiocesium and all abiotic parts of the model handling fixation and mobility have been altered. The new model for {sup 90}Sr has been critically tested using data from four lakes heavily contaminated with {sup 90}Sr from the Kyshtym accident in the Southern Urals, Russia, using empirical data from a period from 1958 to 1995 for {sup 90}Sr in fish (here goldfish), water and sediments.

Taking the (southern) waters: science, slavery, and nationalism at the Virginia springs.

Science.gov (United States)

LaFauci, Lauren E

2011-04-01

'Taking the (southern) waters' argues that, in the pre-Civil War period, the space of Virginia's mineral water resorts and the philosophy of southern hydropathic medicine enabled--indeed, fostered--white southerners' constructions of a 'nationalist,' pro-slavery ideology. In the first half of the paper, the author explains how white southern health-seekers came to view the springs region as a medicinal resource peculiarly designed for the healing of southern diseases and for the restoration of white southern constitutions; in the second half, she shows how physical and social aspects of the resorts, such as architectural choices and political events, supported and encouraged pro-slavery ideologies. Taken together, these medical-social analyses reveal how elite white southerners in the antebellum period came to associate the health of their peculiarly 'southern' bodies with the future health of an independent southern nation, one that elided black bodily presence at the same time that its social structures and scientific apparatuses relied upon enslaved black labor.

A see-saw of pre-Columbian boom regions in southern Peru, determined by large-scale circulation changes

Science.gov (United States)

Mächtle, B.; Schittek, K.; Forbriger, M.; Schäbitz, F.; Eitel, B.

2012-04-01

Environmental changes and cultural transitions during several periods of Peruvian history show a strong coincidence between humid and dry climatic oscillations and the rise and decline of cultures. It is noteworthy, that alternating periods of geo-ecological fragility and stability occurred in time and space between the coastal Nasca region (14.5° S) and the high Andean northern Titicaca basin, just a few hundred kilometers to the east. Based on a multi-proxy palynological and sedimentological approach to reconstruct palaeoenvironmental changes, we found that the Nasca region received a maximum of precipitation during the archaeological boom times of the Early Horizon and the Early Intermediate Period (800 BC - 650 AD, Paracas and Nasca cultures) as well as during the late intermediate period (1150-1450 AD), whereas, in contrast, the Titicaca region further to the south-east experienced drought and cultural depression during that times. During the Middle Horizon (650 - 1150 AD), the Tiwanaku agronomy and culture boomed in the Titicaca region and expanded to the west, contemporaneous with a raised lake level and more humid conditions. In the Nasca region, runoff for irrigation purposes was reduced and less reliable due to drought. Considering a coincidence between environmental and cultural changes, we state that success and decline of civilizations were controlled by hydrological oscillations, triggering fertility as well as a critical loss of natural resources. In response to spatial changing resources, cultural foci were shifted. Therefore, the success of pre-Columbian civilizations was closely coupled to areas of geo-ecological favorability, which were directly controlled by distinct regional impacts of large-scale circulation mechanisms, including El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Changes in the position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and the Bolivian anticyclone determined meridional shifts in moisture transport across the Andes, which

Three Hundred Years of Glory and Gloom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Givental

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The Ural Mountains in Russia are recognized for their picturesque scenery, exceptional mineral wealth, and geopolitical significance in Russian history. The Urals are also notoriously known as a site of the Soviet military industrial complex, the birthplace of the Soviet nuclear program, and the most polluted region in Russia. The evolving Urals’ imagery as Russia’s “treasure box” and “Russia’s defender” has been a continual theme through the region’s identity and economic progression over the period of 300 years. At different times and by different powers, the Urals was glorified or ostracized, however, preserving its iconic image. The article explores the origins of the Ural’s identity and the evolution of the Urals’ diverse meanings using the evidence from published scholarly sources and works of art.

Regional Tectonic Control of Tertiary Mineralization and Recent Faulting in the Southern Basin-Range Province, an Application of ERTS-1 Data

Science.gov (United States)

Bechtold, I. C.; Liggett, M. A.; Childs, J. F.

1973-01-01

Research based on ERTS-1 MSS imagery and field work in the southern Basin-Range Province of California, Nevada and Arizona has shown regional tectonic control of volcanism, plutonism, mineralization and faulting. This paper covers an area centered on the Colorado River between 34 15' N and 36 45' N. During the mid-Tertiary, the area was the site of plutonism and genetically related volcanism fed by fissure systems now exposed as dike swarms. Dikes, elongate plutons, and coeval normal faults trend generally northward and are believed to have resulted from east-west crustal extension. In the extensional province, gold silver mineralization is closely related to Tertiary igneous activity. Similarities in ore, structural setting, and rock types define a metallogenic district of high potential for exploration. The ERTS imagery also provides a basis for regional inventory of small faults which cut alluvium. This capability for efficient regional surveys of Recent faulting should be considered in land use planning, geologic hazards study, civil engineering and hydrology.

Invisible and microscopic gold in pyrite: Methods and new data for massive sulfide ores of the Urals

Science.gov (United States)

Vikentyev, I. V.

2015-07-01

Au speciation in sulfides (including "invisible" Au), which mostly controls the loss of Au during ore dressing, is discussed. Modern methods of analysis of Au speciation, with discussion of limitations by locality and sensitivity, are reviewed. The results of sulfide investigation by the methods of scanning and transmission electron microscopy, mass spectrometric analysis with laser ablation (LA-ICP-MS), the thermochemical method (study of ionic Au speciation), and automated "quantitative mineralogy," are demonstrated for weakly metamorphosed VHMS deposits of the Urals (Galkinsk and Uchaly). Significant content of Au is scattered in sulfides, such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite, with quantitative predomination of pyrite. The portion of such "invisible" gold ranges from flakes) with a monocrystal diffraction pattern of some particles and a ring diffraction pattern of other particles was registered in the ores of these deposits by the methods of transmission electron microscopy. The low degree (or absence) of metamorphic recrystallization results in (1) predomination of thin intergrowths of sulfides, which is the main reason for the bad concentration of ores (especially for the Galkinsk deposit) and (2) the high portion of "invisible" gold in the massive sulfide ores, which explains the low yield of Au in copper and zinc concentrates, since it is lost in tailings with predominating pyrite.

Chemical and boron isotopic composition of tourmaline from the Mariinsky emerald deposit, Central Urals, Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Baksheev, Ivan A.; Trumbull, Robert B.; Popov, Mikhail P.; Erokhin, Yuri V.; Kudryavtseva, Olesya E.; Yapaskurt, Vasily O.; Khiller, Vera V.; Vovna, Galina M.; Kiselev, Vladimir I.

2018-04-01

Tourmaline is abundant at the Mariinsky schist-hosted emerald deposit in the Central Urals, Russia, both in emerald-bearing phlogopite veins (type 1) and later, emerald-free pockets, lenses, and veinlets cutting the phlogopite veins (type 2). The Ca content in tourmaline is influenced by the host rocks (ultramafic and mafic rocks), associated minerals, and minerals crystallized before tourmaline (amphibole, fluorite, margarite). The Na concentration in tourmaline depends on the presence or absence of paragonite, and the association with micas also strongly influences the contents of Li, Zn, Ni, and Co in tourmaline. Type 1 tourmalines associated with phlogopite are relatively depleted in these elements, whereas type 2 tourmalines associated with margarite or paragonite are enriched. Some differences in isomorphic substitutions along with the trace element composition (Zn, V, Sr, Co, REE) may have value in exploration of emerald-bearing and emerald-free veins in schist-hosted emerald deposits. The δ11B values in tourmaline of all types fall in a narrow total range from -11.3 to -8.4‰. These values, combined with a mineralization temperature of 420-360 °C, yield an estimated δ11B fluid composition of -7.4 to -6.8‰ suggesting a mixed source of boron, likely dominated from the granitic rocks surrounding the emerald belt. The narrow range of B-isotope compositions in tourmaline from throughout the Mariinsky deposit suggests a well-mixed hydrothermal system.

Effect of Gravity Waves from Small Islands in the Southern Ocean on the Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Circulation

Science.gov (United States)

Garfinkel, C. I.; Oman, L. D.

2018-01-01

The effect of small islands in the Southern Ocean on the atmospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere is considered with a series of simulations using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model in which the gravity wave stress generated by these islands is increased to resemble observed values. The enhanced gravity wave drag leads to a 2 K warming of the springtime polar stratosphere, partially ameliorating biases in this region. Resolved wave drag declines in the stratospheric region in which the added orographic gravity waves deposit their momentum, such that changes in gravity waves are partially compensated by changes in resolved waves, though resolved wave drag increases further poleward. The orographic drag from these islands has impacts for surface climate, as biases in tropospheric jet position are also partially ameliorated. These results suggest that these small islands are likely contributing to the missing drag near 60 degrees S in the upper stratosphere evident in many data assimilation products.

Focal mechanisms in the southern Aegean from temporary seismic networks - implications for the regional stress field and ongoing deformation processes

Science.gov (United States)

Friederich, W.; Brüstle, A.; Küperkoch, L.; Meier, T.; Lamara, S.; Egelados Working Group

2014-05-01

The lateral variation of the stress field in the southern Aegean plate and the subducting Hellenic slab is determined from recordings of seismicity obtained with the CYCNET and EGELADOS networks in the years from 2002 to 2007. First motions from 7000 well-located microearthquakes were analysed to produce 540 well-constrained focal mechanisms. They were complemented by another 140 derived by waveform matching of records from larger events. Most of these earthquakes fall into 16 distinct spatial clusters distributed over the southern Aegean region. For each cluster, a stress inversion could be carried out yielding consistent estimates of the stress field and its spatial variation. At crustal levels, the stress field is generally dominated by a steeply dipping compressional principal stress direction except in places where coupling of the subducting slab and overlying plate come into play. Tensional principal stresses are generally subhorizontal. Just behind the forearc, the crust is under arc-parallel tension whereas in the volcanic areas around Kos, Columbo and Astypalea tensional and intermediate stresses are nearly degenerate. Further west and north, in the Santorini-Amorgos graben and in the area of the islands of Mykonos, Andros and Tinos, tensional stresses are significant and point around the NW-SE direction. Very similar stress fields are observed in western Turkey with the tensional axis rotated to NNE-SSW. Intermediate-depth earthquakes below 100 km in the Nisyros region indicate that the Hellenic slab experiences slab-parallel tension at these depths. The direction of tension is close to east-west and thus deviates from the local NW-oriented slab dip presumably owing to the segmentation of the slab. Beneath the Cretan sea, at shallower levels, the slab is under NW-SE compression. Tensional principal stresses in the crust exhibit very good alignment with extensional strain rate principal axes derived from GPS velocities except in volcanic areas, where both

Influences of management of Southern forests on water quantity and quality

Science.gov (United States)

Ge Sun; Mark Riedel; Rhett Jackson; Randy Kolka; Devendra Amatya; Jim Shepard

2004-01-01

Water is a key output of southern forests and is critical to other processes, functions, and values of forest ecosystems. This chapter synthesizes published literature about the effects of forest management practices on water quantity and water quality across the Southern United States region. We evaluate the influences of forest management at different temporal and...

THE STRATEGY FOR CREATION OF THE MODERN CONCEPT OF INTEGRATIVE-HOLISTIC EDUCATION (A CASE STUDY OF MINING SCHOOLS OF THE URALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. K. Chapaev

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The relevance of the problem under study is caused by the contradiction between the necessity of fundamentalization of education, raising it to the level of the requirements of integral human development and the deepening disintegration of all sides of his life, including vocational education.The aim of the present publication is philosophical and pedagogical reflection and development of mechanisms for mainstreaming integrative-holistic approach when building a hypothetical model of professional education, aimed at provision of strategic turn towards more balanced (dialectical approach to the traditional values of education. In particular, it concerns the experience of mining schools of the Urals.Methods. A leading approach to the study of this problem is an integrativeholistic approach (PPI that can identify the holistic nature of the pedagogical system in which: a inter-transformation of cooperated parts occurs not at the expense of each other, but on behalf of each other part; b the existence of common points of contact between the cooperated components is complemented by the coexistence of the opposite, sometimes mutually exclusive sides of life; c the idea of the priority of the whole is in harmony with the idea of polycentrism.Results and scientific novelty. The study shows the failure of the monopoly of the prevailing doctrine of competence-based education as a means for the successful resolution of global problems of reintegration of human existence and therefore postulated the necessity of antinomization (diversification of education. The authors make the original hypothesis of the construction of the concept of vocational education on the basis of the reconstruction of experience of the mining schools of the Urals and prove the prospectivity of integrative-holistic strategy of reconstruction of educational experience in modern conditions. The system of technological and methodological support of the

Recent and old groundwater in the Niebla-Posadas regional aquifer (southern Spain): Implications for its management

Science.gov (United States)

Scheiber, Laura; Ayora, Carlos; Vázquez-Suñé, Enric; Cendón, Dioni I.; Soler, Albert; Custodio, Emilio; Baquero, Juan Carlos

2015-04-01

The Niebla-Posadas (NP) aquifer in southern Spain is one of the main groundwater sources for the lower Guadalquivir Valley, a semiarid region supporting an important population, agriculture and industry. To contribute to the understanding of this aquifer the assessment of sustainable use of groundwater, the residence time of groundwater in the NP aquifer has been estimated using 3H, 14C and 36Cl. Along the flow paths, recharged groundwater mixes with NaCl-type waters and undergoes calcite dissolution and is further modified by cation exchange (Ca-Na). Consequently, the water loses most of its calcium and the residual δ13CDIC in the groundwater is isotopically enriched. Further modifications take place along the flow path in deeper zones, where depleted δ13CDIC values are overprinted due to SO42- and iron oxide reduction, triggered by the presence of organic matter. Dating with 3H, 14C and 36Cl has allowed the differentiation of several zones: recharge zone (30 ky). An apparent link between the tectonic structure and the groundwater residence time zonation can be established. Regional faults clearly separates deep zone 1 from the distinctly older age (>30 ky) deep zone 2. From the estimated residence times, two groundwater areas of different behavior can be differentiated within the aquifer.

Nest temperature fluctuations in a cavity nester, the southern ground-hornbill.

Science.gov (United States)

Combrink, L; Combrink, H J; Botha, A J; Downs, C T

2017-05-01

Southern ground-hornbills Bucorvus leadbeateri inhabit savanna and bushveld regions of South Africa. They nest in the austral summer, which coincides with the wet season and hottest daytime temperatures in the region. They are secondary cavity nesters and typically nest in large cavities in trees, cliffs and earth banks, but readily use artificial nest boxes. Southern ground-hornbills are listed as Endangered in South Africa, with reintroductions into suitable areas highlighted as a viable conservation intervention for the species. Nest microclimate, and the possible implications this may have for the breeding biology of southern ground-hornbills, have never been investigated. We used temperature dataloggers to record nest cavity temperature and ambient temperature for one artificial and 11 natural southern ground-hornbill tree cavity nests combined, spanning two breeding seasons. Mean hourly nest temperature, as well as mean minimum and mean maximum nest temperature, differed significantly between southern ground-hornbill nests in both breeding seasons. Mean nest temperature also differed significantly from mean ambient temperature for both seasons. Natural nest cavities provided a buffer against the ambient temperature fluctuations. The artificial nest provided little insulation against temperature extremes, being warmer and cooler than the maximum and minimum local ambient temperatures, respectively. Nest cavity temperature was not found to have an influence on the breeding success of the southern ground-hornbill groups investigated in this study. These results have potentially important implications for southern ground-hornbill conservation and artificial nest design, as they suggest that the birds can tolerate greater nest cavity temperature extremes than previously thought. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pre-Columbian population dynamics in coastal southern Peru: A diachronic investigation of mtDNA patterns in the Palpa region by ancient DNA analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fehren-Schmitz, Lars; Reindel, Markus; Cagigao, Elsa Tomasto; Hummel, Susanne; Herrmann, Bernd

2010-02-01

Alternative models have been proposed to explain the formation and decline of the south Peruvian Nasca culture, ranging from migration or invasion to autochthonous development and ecological crisis. To reveal to what extent population dynamic processes accounted for cultural development in the Nasca mainland, or were influenced by them, we analyzed ancient mitochondrial DNA of 218 individuals, originating from chronologically successive archaeological sites in the Palpa region, the Paracas Peninsula, and the Andean highlands in southern Peru. The sampling strategy allowed a diachronic analysis in a time frame from approximately 800 BC to 800 AD. Mitochondrial coding region polymorphisms were successfully analyzed and replicated for 130 individuals and control region sequences (np 16021-16408) for 104 individuals to determine Native American mitochondrial DNA haplogroups and haplotypes. The results were compared with ancient and contemporary Peruvian populations to reveal genetic relations of the archaeological samples. Frequency data and statistics show clear proximity of the Nasca populations to the populations of the preceding Paracas culture from Palpa and the Peninsula, and suggest, along with archaeological data, that the Nasca culture developed autochthonously in the Rio Grande drainage. Furthermore, the influence of changes in socioeconomic complexity in the Palpa area on the genetic diversity of the local population could be observed. In all, a strong genetic affinity between pre-Columbian coastal populations from southern Peru could be determined, together with a significant differentiation from ancient highland and all present-day Peruvian reference populations, best shown in the differential distribution of mitochondrial haplogroups. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A P-wave velocity model of the upper crust of the Sannio region (Southern Apennines, Italy

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M. Cocco

1998-06-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the results of a seismic refraction profile conducted in October 1992 in the Sannio region, Southern Italy, to obtain a detailed P-wave velocity model of the upper crust. The profile, 75 km long, extended parallel to the Apenninic chain in a region frequently damaged in historical time by strong earthquakes. Six shots were fired at five sites and recorded by a number of seismic stations ranging from 41 to 71 with a spacing of 1-2 km along the recording line. We used a two-dimensional raytracing technique to model travel times and amplitudes of first and second arrivals. The obtained P-wave velocity model has a shallow structure with strong lateral variations in the southern portion of the profile. Near surface sediments of the Tertiary age are characterized by seismic velocities in the 3.0-4.1 km/s range. In the northern part of the profile these deposits overlie a layer with a velocity of 4.8 km/s that has been interpreted as a Mesozoic sedimentary succession. A high velocity body, corresponding to the limestones of the Western Carbonate Platform with a velocity of 6 km/s, characterizes the southernmost part of the profile at shallow depths. At a depth of about 4 km the model becomes laterally homogeneous showing a continuous layer with a thickness in the 3-4 km range and a velocity of 6 km/s corresponding to the Meso-Cenozoic limestone succession of the Apulia Carbonate Platform. This platform appears to be layered, as indicated by an increase in seismic velocity from 6 to 6.7 km/s at depths in the 6-8 km range, that has been interpreted as a lithological transition from limestones to Triassic dolomites and anhydrites of the Burano formation. A lower P-wave velocity of about 5.0-5.5 km/s is hypothesized at the bottom of the Apulia Platform at depths ranging from 10 km down to 12.5 km; these low velocities could be related to Permo-Triassic siliciclastic deposits of the Verrucano sequence drilled at the bottom of the Apulia

Southern Africa’s climate: Current state and recent historical changes

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Davis, C

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Southern Africa is a predominantly semi-arid region with high rainfall variability, characterised by frequent droughts and floods. It is also widely recognised as one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change because of low levels of adaptive...

Elemental identification of blue paintings traces present in historic cemeteries in the São Martinho region, southern Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Thiago G.; Richter, Fábio Andreas; Castro, Elisiana Trilha; Gonçalves, Samantha; Spudeit, Daniel A.; Micke, Gustavo A.

2018-03-01

Cemeteries are of great significance in many communities, often being considered of invaluable historical, artistic, architectural and cultural significance and thus they need to be preserved. In this regard, understanding the historical aspects and the construction techniques used is essential for their protection. The purpose of this paper is to describe historical aspects of the funerary heritage present in the region of São Martinho in southern Brazil, along with an analysis of the blue paint found in cemeteries of German colonies in the region studied. FTIR analysis suggests that the binder is composed mostly of a protein resin and a small amount of lipid. The morphology of the pigment was investigated by SEM and EDS and the spectra revealed that the major elements present in the blue pigment are Na, Al, Si and S, with an overlap in the elemental mapping, indicative of ultramarine pigments. The GC-MS results are consistent with the type of binder identified by FTIR and indicate a mixture of oils, probably from vegetal sources, and proteins.

Causes of death among full term stillbirths and early neonatal deaths in the Region of Southern Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Millie Nguyen; Johnsen, Iben Birgit Gade; Wehberg, Sonja; Sørensen, Rikke Guldberg; Barington, Torben; Nørgård, Bente Mertz

2018-02-23

We examined the causes of death amongst full term stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. Our cohort includes women in the Region of Southern Denmark, who gave birth at full term to a stillborn infant or a neonate who died within the first 7 days from 2010 through 2014. Demographic, biometric and clinical variables were analyzed to assess the causes of death using two classification systems: causes of death and associated conditions (CODAC) and a Danish system based on initial causes of fetal death (INCODE). A total of 95 maternal-infant cases were included. Using the CODAC and INCODE classification systems, we found that the causes of death were unknown in 59/95 (62.1%). The second most common cause of death in CODAC was congenital anomalies in 10/95 (10.5%), similar to INCODE with fetal, genetic, structural and karyotypic anomalies in 11/95 (11.6%). The majority of the mothers were healthy, primiparous, non-smokers, aged 20-34 years and with a normal body mass index (BMI). Based on an unselected cohort from an entire region in Denmark, the cause of stillbirth and early neonatal deaths among full term infants remained unknown for the vast majority.

Molecular characterization of Orientia tsutsugamushi serotypes causing scrub typhus outbreak in southern region of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Usha, K; Kumar, E; Kalawat, Usha; Kumar, B Siddhartha; Chaudhury, A; Gopal, D V R Sai

2016-10-01

Scrub typhus is a vector-borne zoonotic infection caused by Orientiatsutsugamushi. Local epidemiology of the circulating serotypes of scrub typhus is not available from most parts of India. We conducted this study for the diagnosis of scrub typhus using IgM ELISA and to detect O. tsutsugamushi serotypes circulating in southern Andhra Pradesh, India. Samples were collected from patients clinically suspected to have scrub typhus and were subjected to IgM ELISA to measure IgM antibodies against O. tsutsugamushi. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed targeting strain-specific regions in ELISA-positive samples. Of a total of 663 samples, 258 (38.91%) were found to be positive by IgM ELISA. Serotypes could be detected in 230 (34.69%) samples only. Only two serotypes, Karp and Kawasaki, were found in the serum samples, with the former being predominant. The dual infection of Karp and Kawasaki serotypes was found in seven patients. Other serotypes such as Gilliam, Kuroki and Kato were not detected in the samples. The nested PCR products proved useful in presumptively identifying the endemic O. tsutsugamushi serotypes. The present study could be significant in understanding scrub typhus epidemiology in this region.

Regional climate service in Southern Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Schipper, Janus; Hackenbruch, Julia

2013-04-01

Climate change challenges science, politics, business and society at the international, national and regional level. The South German Climate Office at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is a contact for the structuring and dissemination of information on climate and climate change in the South German region. It provides scientifically based and user-oriented climate information. Thereby it builds a bridge between the climate sciences and society and provides scientific information on climate change in an understandable way. The expertise of KIT, in which several institutions operate on fundamental and applied climate research, and of partner institutions is the basis for the work in the climate office. The regional focus is on the south of Germany. Thematic focuses are e.g. regional climate modeling, trends in extreme weather events such as heavy rain and hail event, and issues for energy and water management. The South German Climate Office is one of four Regional Helmholtz Climate Offices, of which each has a regional and thematic focus. The users of the Climate Office can be summarized into three categories. First, there is the general public. This category consists mainly of non-professionals. Here, special attention is on an understandable translation of climate information. Attention is paid to application-related aspects, because each individual is affected in a different way by climate change. Typical examples of this category are school groups, citizens and the media. The second category consists of experts of other disciplines. Unlike the first category they are mainly interested in the exchange of results and data. It is important to the climate office to provide support for the use of climatological results. Typical representatives of this category are ministries, state offices, and companies. In the third and final category are scientists. In addition to the climatologists, this category also holds representatives from other scientific

Malnutrition among children in Southern Ethiopia: Levels and risk ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Using data collected in the Community and Family Survey of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region, this study estimates the level of child malnutrition and identifies the factors associated with chronic malnutrition among children in the five densely populated zones of the Region. A total of 850 children aged ...

On accumulation of 90Sr and 137Cs by some lower plants in the vicinity of the Beloyarsky atomic power station in the Urals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nifontova, M.G.; Kulikov, N.V.

1981-01-01

The data are given on the content of 90 Sr and 137 Cs in thalluses of the foliose epiphytic lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L) and in a number of the most widely distributed in nature edxble fungi that grow in the forests of the sanitary-protective zone of the Beloyarsk nuclear power station in the Middle Urals: russula-Russula cyaxantha (Schw)Fr; brown cap boletus-Leccinum scabrum (Fe)S.F.Gray, milk-agaric-Lactarius resimus Fr., russula-Russula foetens (Fr.)Fr. It has been ascertained that the concentration of 90 Sr and 137 Cs in epiphytic lichens and edible agaric fungi in the vicinity of the Beloyarsk nuclear power station does not exceed the background content of these radionuclides characteristic of analogous plants in other locations outside the range of a possible effect of the nuclear power station [ru

Late Eocene white pines (Pinus subgenus Strobus) from southern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Qingqing; Zhou, Wenjun; Kodrul, Tatiana M; Naugolnykh, Serge V; Jin, Jianhua

2015-11-09

Fossil records indicate that the genus Pinus L. split into two subgenera by the Late Cretaceous, although subgenus Strobus (D. Don) Lemmon is less well documented than subgenus Pinus L., especially in eastern Asia. In this paper, Pinus maomingensis sp. nov. is established based on a compressed seed cone from the upper Eocene of the Maoming Basin of southern China. This species is attributed to genus Pinus, subgenus Strobus, section Quinquefoliae Duhamel, subsection Strobus Loudon based on the combination of morphological characters obtained from the cone scales, specifically from the terminal umbo, rhombic apophysis, and cuticle structure. Associated fascicles of needle leaves with deciduous sheaths and bulbous bases are recognized as Pinus sp. and also represent Pinus subgenus Strobus. This new discovery from the Maoming Basin constitutes the first megafossil record of subgenus Strobus from southern China and implies that the members of this subgenus arrived in the southern region of China by the late Eocene. The extant species of subgenus Strobus are mainly distributed in northern temperate and tropical to subtropical mountainous regions. We propose that the Maoming Basin was adjacent to a mountainous region during the late Eocene.

Metropolitanization and Forest Recovery in Southern Brazil: a Multiscale Analysis of the Florianópolis City-Region, Santa Catarina State, 1970 to 2005

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Sandra R. Baptista

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Within the contexts of globalization and the Atlantic Forest ecoregion, I present a multiscale analysis of anthropogenic landscape dynamics in the Florianópolis city-region, Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Drawing on field research conducted between 2000 and 2004 and a review of the literature, I examined Brazilian demographic and agricultural census data for the period of 1970 to 1995-1996. I hypothesized that economic restructuring, new institutional arrangements, and the valuation of environmental amenities and ecosystem services have contributed to forest recovery trends and thus a forest transition in the city-region. My results indicate that along with rapid urbanization, in-migration, socioeconomic polarization, and segregation, the city-region has experienced the contraction of private agricultural land area, expansion of protected areas, recovery of forests, and conversion of coastal plain ecosystems to built environments. Future analyses of forest transition dynamics should consider the spatial configurations of socioeconomic inequality in city-regions.

New records and update on the geographic distribution of Clitocybula lignicola (Lj.N. Vassiljeva) E.F. Malysheva & O.V. Morozova (Basidiomycota: Agaricales) in Russia

OpenAIRE

Shiryaeva, Olga

2016-01-01

Clitocybula lignicola is predominantly distributed in the Asian part of Russia. In Europe it was found only in the Urals (Komi Republic, Russia). Two new localities are situated in the northwestern part of Vologda Region (Russia). These are the first records of this species from the East European Plain, as well as the most western ones known in Europe. New records extend the geographic distribution of C. lignicola 1,204 km west of the closest site in the Urals. An updated distribution map for...

The role of the youth of Ozersk in creation of positive image of nuclear energy in the Chelyabinsk region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostareva, T.; Teslov, A.

2000-01-01

The town of Ozyorsk is situated in the picturesque place of South Ural. This is the land of mountains, pure lakes and beautiful forests. The main factory of Ozyorsk is the Production Association MAYAK. It was founded for aims of Russian defenses in the beginning of the nuclear industry's development. In first years of existence the activity of Production Association MAYAK led to large-scale incidents, causing great harm to the environment and to the health of the population of Chelyabinsk region. There are two large factories of the nuclear industry apart from Production Association MAYAK in Chelyabinsk region. The activity of all these factories causes the specification of the ecological situation in the region. Evidently one of the main problems of the atomic industry in the region is to orient public opinion to have a good attitude about objects of the atomic industry and to their development. The Youth has to taken an active participation in such work. It is possible to organize the work with pupils, students and young specialists. (authors)

Clean Air Slots Amid Dense Atmospheric Pollution in Southern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Hobbs, Peter V.

2003-01-01

During the flights of the University of Washington's Convair-580 in the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) in southern Africa, a phenomenon was observed that has not been reported previously. This was the occurrence of thin layers of remarkably clean air, sandwiched between heavily polluted air, which persisted for many hours during the day. Photographs are shown of these clean air slots (CAS), and particle concentrations and light scattering coefficients in and around such slot are presented. An explanation is proposed for the propensity of CAS to form in southern Africa during the dry season.

Regional trade and the nutrition transition: opportunities to strengthen NCD prevention policy in the Southern African Development Community

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Anne Marie Thow

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Addressing diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs will require a multisectoral policy approach that includes the food supply and trade, but implementing effective policies has proved challenging. The Southern African Development Community (SADC has experienced significant trade and economic liberalization over the past decade; at the same time, the nutrition transition has progressed rapidly in the region. This analysis considers the relationship between regional trade liberalization and changes in the food environment associated with poor diets and NCDs, with the aim of identifying feasible and proactive policy responses to support healthy diets. Design: Changes in trade and investment policy for the SADC were documented and compared with time-series graphs of import data for soft drinks and snack foods to assess changes in imports and source country in relation to trade and investment liberalization. Our analysis focuses on regional trade flows. Results: Diets and the burden of disease in the SADC have changed since the 1990s in parallel with trade and investment liberalization. Imports of soft drinks increased by 76% into SADC countries between 1995 and 2010, and processed snack foods by 83%. South Africa acts as a regional trade and investment hub; it is the major source of imports and investment related to these products into other SADC countries. At the same time, imports of processed foods and soft drinks from outside the region – largely from Asia and the Middle East – are increasing at a dramatic rate with soft drink imports growing by almost 1,200% and processed snack foods by 750%. Conclusions: There is significant intra-regional trade in products associated with the nutrition transition; however, growing extra-regional trade means that countries face new pressures in implementing strong policies to prevent the increasing burden of diet-related NCDs. Implementation of a regional nutrition policy framework could

Regional trade and the nutrition transition: opportunities to strengthen NCD prevention policy in the Southern African Development Community

Science.gov (United States)

Thow, Anne Marie; Sanders, David; Drury, Eliza; Puoane, Thandi; Chowdhury, Syeda N.; Tsolekile, Lungiswa; Negin, Joel

2015-01-01

Background Addressing diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will require a multisectoral policy approach that includes the food supply and trade, but implementing effective policies has proved challenging. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has experienced significant trade and economic liberalization over the past decade; at the same time, the nutrition transition has progressed rapidly in the region. This analysis considers the relationship between regional trade liberalization and changes in the food environment associated with poor diets and NCDs, with the aim of identifying feasible and proactive policy responses to support healthy diets. Design Changes in trade and investment policy for the SADC were documented and compared with time-series graphs of import data for soft drinks and snack foods to assess changes in imports and source country in relation to trade and investment liberalization. Our analysis focuses on regional trade flows. Results Diets and the burden of disease in the SADC have changed since the 1990s in parallel with trade and investment liberalization. Imports of soft drinks increased by 76% into SADC countries between 1995 and 2010, and processed snack foods by 83%. South Africa acts as a regional trade and investment hub; it is the major source of imports and investment related to these products into other SADC countries. At the same time, imports of processed foods and soft drinks from outside the region – largely from Asia and the Middle East – are increasing at a dramatic rate with soft drink imports growing by almost 1,200% and processed snack foods by 750%. Conclusions There is significant intra-regional trade in products associated with the nutrition transition; however, growing extra-regional trade means that countries face new pressures in implementing strong policies to prevent the increasing burden of diet-related NCDs. Implementation of a regional nutrition policy framework could complement the SADC

Climatology of Aerosol Optical Properties in Southern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Queface, Antonio J.; Piketh, Stuart J.; Eck, Thomas F.; Tsay, Si-Chee

2011-01-01

A thorough regionally dependent understanding of optical properties of aerosols and their spatial and temporal distribution is required before we can accurately evaluate aerosol effects in the climate system. Long term measurements of aerosol optical depth, Angstrom exponent and retrieved single scattering albedo and size distribution, were analyzed and compiled into an aerosol optical properties climatology for southern Africa. Monitoring of aerosol parameters have been made by the AERONET program since the middle of the last decade in southern Africa. This valuable information provided an opportunity for understanding how aerosols of different types influence the regional radiation budget. Two long term sites, Mongu in Zambia and Skukuza in South Africa formed the core sources of data in this study. Results show that seasonal variation of aerosol optical thicknesses at 500 nm in southern Africa are characterized by low seasonal multi-month mean values (0.11 to 0.17) from December to May, medium values (0.20 to 0.27) between June and August, and high to very high values (0.30 to 0.46) during September to November. The spatial distribution of aerosol loadings shows that the north has high magnitudes than the south in the biomass burning season and the opposite in none biomass burning season. From the present aerosol data, no long term discernable trends are observable in aerosol concentrations in this region. This study also reveals that biomass burning aerosols contribute the bulk of the aerosol loading in August-October. Therefore if biomass burning could be controlled, southern Africa will experience a significant reduction in total atmospheric aerosol loading. In addition to that, aerosol volume size distribution is characterized by low concentrations in the non biomass burning period and well balanced particle size contributions of both coarse and fine modes. In contrast high concentrations are characteristic of biomass burning period, combined with

Energy security in South America and Southern Africa: synthesis report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiratu, Sheila

2011-01-01

In developing countries, the ability to provide adequate and reliable energy supplies is a key to sustainable economic development. The aim of this report is to study the energy supply security in both Southern Africa and South America and how these regions can participate in the international effort to combat climate change. This report showed that South Africa's energy sector mostly relies on carbon intensive coal while Brazil is mainly supplied by hydroelectricity. It was found that in both countries energy needs will increase significantly due to rising demand both internally and at a regional scale. However it was also shown that both Southern Africa and South America have important hydro, solar and wind renewable resources which could enhance their electricity security while minimizing their environmental impacts. This study demonstrated that Southern Africa and South America can enhance their electricity security through the use of renewable energies but that technology and financing is needed to develop the sector.

The Direct Trade of Woods for the Spanish Shipbuilding Industry and other Goods from the Southern Baltic Sea Region, 1700-1783

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafal Reichert

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The present work is the first approach to theme of the direct trade between the southern region of the Baltic Sea and Spain, the issue very little known and generalizes by Spanish historiography. Thus, for help of the digital records of the Sound Strait, the checkpoint where ships paid a right of transit it to the Danish Crown, was conducted an analysis of the maritime movement and its volume between both regions in the period of 1700-1783. The results of this research were deepened with the employ of the Polish, Spanish and European historiographies that allowed establishing new perspectives of the commerce life of both regions (Spain and countries of the South Baltic. The primary focus of study focused on the presentation of economic, geopolitical and maritime aspects of this direct trade, where mayor attention was offered to the analysis of wood and timber shipments for the Spanish shipbuilding industry. Finally, the purpose of this work was to demonstrate that actually existed the direct trade between the South Baltic and Spain, which perhaps was small in a global context, however showed its utility against Anglo Dutch monopoly in traffic with different regions of this sea.

Proterozoic structure, cambrian rifting, and younger faulting as revealed by a regional seismic reflection network in the Southern Illinois Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Potter, C.J.; Drahovzal, James A.; Sargent, M.L.; McBride, J.H.

1997-01-01

Four high-quality seismic reflection profiles through the southern Illinois Basin, totaling 245 km in length, provide an excellent regional subsurface stratigraphic and structural framework for evaluation of seismic risk, hydrocarbon occurrence, and other regional geologic studies. These data provide extensive subsurface information on the geometry of the intersection of the Cambrian Reelfoot and Rough Creek rifts, on extensive Proterozoic reflection sequences, and on structures (including the Fluorspar Area Fault Complex and Hicks Dome) that underlie a transitional area between the well-defined New Madrid seismic zone (to the southwest) and a more diffuse area of seismicity in the southern Illinois Basin. Our principal interpretations from these data are listed here in order of geologic age, from oldest to youngest: 1. Prominent Proterozoic layering, possibly equivalent to Proterozoic (???1 Ga) Middle Run Formation clastic strata and underlying (1.3-1.5 Ga) volcanic rocks of the East Continent rift basin, has been strongly deformed, probably as part of the Grenville foreland fold and thrust belt. 2. A well-defined angular unconformity is seen in many places between Proterozoic and Cambrian strata; a post-Grenville Proterozoic sequence is also apparent locally, directly beneath the base of the Cambrian. 3. We infer a major reversal in Cambrian rift polarity (accommodation zone) in the Rough Creek Graben in western Kentucky. 4. Seismic facies analysis suggests the presence of basin-floor fan complexes at and near the base of the Cambrian interval and within parts of a Proterozoic post-Grenville sequence in several parts of the Rough Creek Graben. 5. There is an abrupt pinchout of the Mount Simon Sandstone against crystalline basement beneath the Dale Dome (near the Texaco no. 1 Cuppy well, Hamilton County) in southeastern Illinois, and a more gradual Mount Simon pinchout to the southeast. 6. Where crossed by the seismic reflection line in southeast Illinois, some

Population-Level Transcriptomic Responses of the Southern Ocean Salp Salpa thompsoni to Environment Variability of the Western Antarctic Peninsula Region

Science.gov (United States)

Bucklin, A. C.; Batta Lona, P. G.; Maas, A. E.; O'Neill, R. J.; Wiebe, P. H.

2015-12-01

In response to the changing Antarctic climate, the Southern Ocean salp Salpa thompsoni has shown altered patterns of distribution and abundance that are anticipated to have profound impacts on pelagic food webs and ecosystem dynamics. The physiological and molecular processes that underlay ecological function and biogeographical distribution are key to understanding present-day dynamics and predicting future trajectories. This study examined transcriptome-wide patterns of gene expression in relation to biological and physical oceanographic conditions in coastal, shelf and offshore waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region during austral spring and summer 2011. Based on field observations and collections, seasonal changes in the distribution and abundance of salps of different life stages were associated with differences in water mass structure of the WAP. Our observations are consistent with previous suggestions that bathymetry and currents in Bransfield Strait could generate a retentive cell for an overwintering population of S. thompsoni, which may generate the characteristic salp blooms found throughout the region later in summer. The statistical analysis of transcriptome-wide patterns of gene expression revealed differences among salps collected in different seasons and from different habitats (i.e., coastal versus offshore) in the WAP. Gene expression patterns also clustered by station in austral spring - but not summer - collections, suggesting stronger heterogeneity of environmental conditions. During the summer, differentially expressed genes covered a wider range of functions, including those associated with stress responses. Future research using novel molecular transcriptomic / genomic characterization of S. thompsoni will allow more complete understanding of individual-, population-, and species-level responses to environmental variability and prediction of future dynamics of Southern Ocean food webs and ecosystems.

Regional planning without means - search for regional leadership

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Groth, Niels Boje; Fertner, Christian

and stakeholders, not least due to its polycentric urban structure with several medium-sized towns. Besides the regional authority and the regions 22 municipalities, sub-regional collaboration is gaining momentum. Furthermore, different fora, councils and associations are engaging in regional issues. However......, collaboration is often focused on specific sectors or sub-regions, while the joint development of the region is left behind. The regional authority has changed its focus from planning to the provision of knowledge, suitable to kick-off joint action with regional stakeholders, while municipalities keep focus...... on their own territories, eventually in the context of one of the new sub-regional collaborations. Based on an empirical analysis of the regional interplay in Southern Denmark and results from the ESPON ReSSI project, we go through these new settings of regional collaboration in the search for new forms...

Towards a spatial development perspective for Southern Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Chakwizira, J

2008-11-01

Full Text Available To ensure equitable development in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, unravelling and understanding the role that physical space and spatial structures play in economic growth is of cardinal importance. In this regard...

Current Assessment of Integrated Content of Long-Lived Radionuclides in Soils of the Head Part of the East Ural Radioactive Trace - Current Assessment of Integrated Stocks of Long-Lived Radionuclides in Soils of the Head Part of the East-Ural Radioactive Trace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antonov, Konstantin L. [Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS, 620990 Kovalevskoy St., 20, Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Molchanova, Inna V.; Mikhailovskaya, Lyudmila N.; Pozolotina, Vera N.; Antonova, Elena V. [Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology UB RAS, 8 Marta St., 202, 620144 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation)

2014-07-01

The East Ural Radioactive Trace is a result of the accident at the Production Association Mayak in 1957(the Kyshtym accident). The {sup 90}Sr was the main contaminant among long-lived radionuclides. Most of it was concentrated in the zone closest to the accident epicentre to the north-west (a narrow sector of about 15 deg., 35 km long). Later, in 1967, the EURT area was contaminated again with air-borne radioactive sediments from Lake Karachay, which had been used by the PA Mayak for storage of liquid radioactive waste. At this case the primary contaminant was {sup 137}Cs most of which was spread within 60 deg. sector oriented in the same direction (Aarkrog et al., 1997; Romanov et al., 1990). Our earlier radioecological studies included the assessment of integrated quantities of {sup 90}Sr, {sup 137}Cs, and {sup 239,240}Pu within the central axis of the trace (Pozolotina et al., 2008; Molchanova et al., 2009). The aim of this investigation was the current assessment of integrated stocks of {sup 90}Sr, {sup 137}Cs, and {sup 239,240}Pu in soils of the head part of the EURT along the central axis and the adjacent areas, to map the contamination data of the studied area using established geostatistical models by ArcGIS 9.3 (ESRI, USA). An inventory of the existing data (38 sampling locations) was performed earlier (Molchanova et al., 2009). Currently the database has information on 102 soil profile cuts. Taking into account the presence of global trends and anisotropy in the source data, ordinary kriging interpolation method was used. Geostatistical data analysis was performed for the determination of the basic parameters of spatial dependencies and the integral assessment of long-lived radionuclides in soils of the central, east peripheral, and west one parts of the trace. This analysis employed simplified geometric models (sector- and rectangle-shaped areas). The Monte Carlo technique was used for quantitatively assesses the uncertainty of the integrated stocks to

JASSA: Journal of Applied Science in Southern Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Journal of Applied Science in Southern Africa (JASSA), aims to publish each issue six to ten original research papers. It is multi-disciplinary in approach specializing in publishing results of applied research considered important to the region.

Monitoring vegetation dynamics with medium resolution MODIS-EVI time series at sub-regional scale in southern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Dubovyk, Olena; Landmann, Tobias; Erasmus, Barend F. N.; Tewes, Andreas; Schellberg, Jürgen

2015-06-01

Currently there is a lack of knowledge on spatio-temporal patterns of land surface dynamics at medium spatial scale in southern Africa, even though this information is essential for better understanding of ecosystem response to climatic variability and human-induced land transformations. In this study, we analysed vegetation dynamics across a large area in southern Africa using the 14-years (2000-2013) of medium spatial resolution (250 m) MODIS-EVI time-series data. Specifically, we investigated temporal changes in the time series of key phenometrics including overall greenness, peak and timing of annual greenness over the monitoring period and study region. In order to specifically capture spatial and per pixel vegetation changes over time, we calculated trends in these phenometrics using a robust trend analysis method. The results showed that interannual vegetation dynamics followed precipitation patterns with clearly differentiated seasonality. The earliest peak greenness during 2000-2013 occurred at the end of January in the year 2000 and the latest peak greenness was observed at the mid of March in 2012. Specifically spatial patterns of long-term vegetation trends allowed mapping areas of (i) decrease or increase in overall greenness, (ii) decrease or increase of peak greenness, and (iii) shifts in timing of occurrence of peak greenness over the 14-year monitoring period. The observed vegetation decline in the study area was mainly attributed to human-induced factors. The obtained information is useful to guide selection of field sites for detailed vegetation studies and land rehabilitation interventions and serve as an input for a range of land surface models.

Locating regional health policy: Institutions, politics, and practices

Science.gov (United States)

Riggirozzi, Pia; Yeates, Nicola

2015-01-01

Poverty reduction and health became central in the agendas of Southern regional organisations in the last two decades. Yet, little is known about how these organisations address poverty, inclusion and social inequality, and how Southern regional formations are engaging in power constellations, institutions, processes, interests and ideological positions within different spheres of governance. This article reviews academic literatures spanning global social policy, regional studies and diplomacy studies, and the state of knowledge and understanding of the ‘place’ of regional actors in health governance as a global political practice therein. It identifies theoretical and thematic points of connection between disparate literatures and how these can be bridged through research focusing on the social policies of regional organisations and regional integration processes. This framework hence locates the contributions of each of the research articles of this Special Issue of Global Social Policy on the regional dimension of health policy and diplomacy in relation to Southern Africa and South America. It also highlights the ways in which the articles bring new evidence about how social relations of welfare are being (re)made over larger scales and how regional actors may initiate new norms to improve health rights in international arenas engaging in new forms of ‘regional’ diplomacy. PMID:26635495

[Soil infiltration capacity under different vegetations in southern Ningxia Loess hilly region].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yong-Hui; Zhao, Shi-Wei; Lei, Ting-Wu; Liu, Han

2008-05-01

A new apparatus for measuring the run off-on-out under simulated rainfall conditions was used to study the soil infiltration capacity under different rainfall intensities and vegetations in loess hilly region of southern Ningxia, with the relationships between soil water-stable aggregate content and soil stable infiltration rate under different vegetations analyzed. The results showed that the regression equations between rainfall duration and soil infiltration rate under different vegetations all followed y = a + be(-cx), with R2 ranged from 0.9678 to 0.9969. With the increase of rainfall intensity, the soil stable infiltration rate on slope cropland decreased, while that on Medicago lupulina land, natural grassland, and Caragana korshinskii land increased. Under the rainfall intensity of 20 mm h(-1), the rainfall infiltration translation rate (RITR) was decreased in the order of M. lupulina land > slope cropland > natural grassland > C. korshinskii land; while under the rainfall intensity of 40 mm h(-1) and 56 mm h(-1), the RITR was in the sequence of M. lupulina land > natural grassland > slope cropland > C. korshinskii land, and decreased with increasing rainfall intensity. After the reversion of cropland to grassland and forest land, and with the increase of re-vegetation, the amount of >0.25 mm soil aggregates increased, and soil infiltration capacity improved. The revegetation in study area effectively improved soil structure and soil infiltration capacity, and enhanced the utilization potential of rainfall on slope.

Field guide to trees of Southern Africa

OpenAIRE

Rishan Singh

2012-01-01

The mainland region of Africa is Southern Africa because it is considered to be robust with an estimate of around 1700 tree species that are native and a couple 100 more that are alien, but have become accustomed to the natural environment; invading, penetrating and replacing vegetation.

Focal mechanisms in the southern Aegean from temporary seismic networks – implications for the regional stress field and ongoing deformation processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Friederich

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The lateral variation of the stress field in the southern Aegean plate and the subducting Hellenic slab is determined from recordings of seismicity obtained with the CYCNET and EGELADOS networks in the years from 2002 to 2007. First motions from 7000 well-located microearthquakes were analysed to produce 540 well-constrained focal mechanisms. They were complemented by another 140 derived by waveform matching of records from larger events. Most of these earthquakes fall into 16 distinct spatial clusters distributed over the southern Aegean region. For each cluster, a stress inversion could be carried out yielding consistent estimates of the stress field and its spatial variation. At crustal levels, the stress field is generally dominated by a steeply dipping compressional principal stress direction except in places where coupling of the subducting slab and overlying plate come into play. Tensional principal stresses are generally subhorizontal. Just behind the forearc, the crust is under arc-parallel tension whereas in the volcanic areas around Kos, Columbo and Astypalea tensional and intermediate stresses are nearly degenerate. Further west and north, in the Santorini–Amorgos graben and in the area of the islands of Mykonos, Andros and Tinos, tensional stresses are significant and point around the NW–SE direction. Very similar stress fields are observed in western Turkey with the tensional axis rotated to NNE–SSW. Intermediate-depth earthquakes below 100 km in the Nisyros region indicate that the Hellenic slab experiences slab-parallel tension at these depths. The direction of tension is close to east–west and thus deviates from the local NW-oriented slab dip presumably owing to the segmentation of the slab. Beneath the Cretan sea, at shallower levels, the slab is under NW–SE compression. Tensional principal stresses in the crust exhibit very good alignment with extensional strain rate principal axes derived from GPS velocities except

An assessment of agroforestry systems in the southern USA

Science.gov (United States)

F. C. Zinkhan; D. Evan Mercer

1997-01-01

An assessment of the southern USA, based on a survey of land-use professionalsand a review of theliterature, revealed that it is a diverse region with substantial potential for agroforestry to address a combination of problems and opportunities. The survey indicated that silvopastoml systems are the most common form of agroforestry in the region. Increased economic...

Ecosystem stressors in southern Nevada [Chapter 2] (Executive Summary)

Science.gov (United States)

Burton K. Pendleton; Jeanne C. Chambers; Matthew L. Brooks; Steven M. Ostoja

2013-01-01

Southern Nevada ecosystems are subject to a number of stressors that range in scope from local to regional to global. At the regional scale, human population growth and related activities constitute a major stressor. Nevada has undergone significant change due to unprecedented population growth and ongoing global change processes. Nevada’s growth rate has been the...

Pastoral community organization, livelihoods and biodiversity conservation in Mongolia's Southern Gobi Region

Science.gov (United States)

Sabine M. Schmidt

2006-01-01

In this paper I describe processes and impacts of collective action by mobile pastoralist communities, and of external support strategies to strengthen local institutions and cooperation in Mongolia’s southern Gobi. The need for pastoral mobility triggered the processes leading to community organization, and the emergence, or re-emergence, of local informal...

Polychronous Zirconology of Navysh Volcanics of the Ai Formation (Southern Urals)

Science.gov (United States)

Krasnobaev, A. A.; Puchkov, V. N.; Sergeeva, N. D.

2018-01-01

In order to resolve the age of Navysh volcanics (NV), which is usually attributed to the Lower Riphean of the Ai Formation, we have used geochronological, petrologic, and mineralogical methods of zirconology, apart from the SHRIMP isotopic data of single zircon grains. Moreover, TIMS isotope age analyses have been conducted, the results of which can be regarded as both controlling and providing the most correct information. The TIMS and SHRIMP data make it possible to suggest a polychronous character of the NV, which include not only Riphean, but also Paleozoic groups of volcanics. In this situation, an assessment of the scales of such polychroneity of NV and, correspondingly, of the Ai Formation as a whole becomes urgent.

Southern Forest Resource Assessment - Summary Report

Science.gov (United States)

David N. Wear; John G. Greis

2002-01-01

The Southern Forest Resource Assessment was initiated in 1999 as a result of concerns raised by natural resource managers, the science community, and the public regarding the status and likely future of forests in the South. These included changes to the region’s forests brought about by rapid urbanization, increasing timber demand, increasing numbers of...

Southern forests: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Science.gov (United States)

R. Neil Sampson

2004-01-01

In the 20th century, southern forests changed dramatically. Those changes pale, however, when compared to what happened to the people of the region. In addition to growing over fourfold in numbers, the South's population has urbanized, globalized, and intellectualized in 100 years. Rural and isolated in the 19th century, they are today urban and cosmopolitan. One...

Winter cloudiness variability over Northern Eurasia related to the Siberian High during 1966–2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernokulsky, Alexander; Mokhov, Igor I; Nikitina, Natalia

2013-01-01

This letter presents an assessment of winter cloudiness variability over Northern Eurasia regions related to the Siberian High intensity (SHI) variations during 1966–2010. An analysis of cloud fraction and the occurrence of different cloud types was carried out based on visual observations from almost 500 Russian meteorological stations. The moonlight criterion was implemented to reduce the uncertainty of night observations. The SHI was defined based on sea-level pressure fields from different reanalyses. We found a statistically significant negative correlation of cloud cover with the SHI over central and southern Siberia and the southern Urals with regression coefficients around 3% hPa −1 for total cloud fraction (TCF) for particular stations near the Siberian High center. Cross-wavelet analysis of TCF and SHI revealed a long-term relationship between cloudiness and the Siberian High. Generally, the Siberian High intensification by 1 hPa leads to a replacement of one overcast day with one day without clouds, which is associated mainly with a decrease in precipitating and stratiform clouds. These changes point to a positive feedback between cloudiness and the Siberian High. (letter)

Between Lake Baikal and the Baltic Sea: genomic history of the gateway to Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Triska, Petr; Chekanov, Nikolay; Stepanov, Vadim; Khusnutdinova, Elza K; Kumar, Ganesh Prasad Arun; Akhmetova, Vita; Babalyan, Konstantin; Boulygina, Eugenia; Kharkov, Vladimir; Gubina, Marina; Khidiyatova, Irina; Khitrinskaya, Irina; Khrameeva, Ekaterina E; Khusainova, Rita; Konovalova, Natalia; Litvinov, Sergey; Marusin, Andrey; Mazur, Alexandr M; Puzyrev, Valery; Ivanoshchuk, Dinara; Spiridonova, Maria; Teslyuk, Anton; Tsygankova, Svetlana; Triska, Martin; Trofimova, Natalya; Vajda, Edward; Balanovsky, Oleg; Baranova, Ancha; Skryabin, Konstantin; Tatarinova, Tatiana V; Prokhortchouk, Egor

2017-12-28

The history of human populations occupying the plains and mountain ridges separating Europe from Asia has been eventful, as these natural obstacles were crossed westward by multiple waves of Turkic and Uralic-speaking migrants as well as eastward by Europeans. Unfortunately, the material records of history of this region are not dense enough to reconstruct details of population history. These considerations stimulate growing interest to obtain a genetic picture of the demographic history of migrations and admixture in Northern Eurasia. We genotyped and analyzed 1076 individuals from 30 populations with geographical coverage spanning from Baltic Sea to Baikal Lake. Our dense sampling allowed us to describe in detail the population structure, provide insight into genomic history of numerous European and Asian populations, and significantly increase quantity of genetic data available for modern populations in region of North Eurasia. Our study doubles the amount of genome-wide profiles available for this region. We detected unusually high amount of shared identical-by-descent (IBD) genomic segments between several Siberian populations, such as Khanty and Ket, providing evidence of genetic relatedness across vast geographic distances and between speakers of different language families. Additionally, we observed excessive IBD sharing between Khanty and Bashkir, a group of Turkic speakers from Southern Urals region. While adding some weight to the "Finno-Ugric" origin of Bashkir, our studies highlighted that the Bashkir genepool lacks the main "core", being a multi-layered amalgamation of Turkic, Ugric, Finnish and Indo-European contributions, which points at intricacy of genetic interface between Turkic and Uralic populations. Comparison of the genetic structure of Siberian ethnicities and the geography of the region they inhabit point at existence of the "Great Siberian Vortex" directing genetic exchanges in populations across the Siberian part of Asia. Slavic speakers

Mapping of Vegetation with the Geoinformation System and Determining of Carrying Capacity of the Pre-Urals Steppe area for a Newly Establishing Population of the Przewalski Horse Equus ferus przewalskii at the Orenburg State Nature Reserve

Science.gov (United States)

Fedorov, N. I.; Mikhailenko, O. I.; Zharkikh, T. L.; Bakirova, R. T.

2018-01-01

Mapping of the vegetation (1:25000) of the Pre-Urals Steppe area at the Orenburg State Nature Reserve was completed in 2016. A map created with the geoinformation system contains 1931 simple and complex polygons for 25 types of vegetation. In a drought year, the average stock of palatable vegetation of the whole area is estimated at 8380 tons dry weight. The estimation is based on the size of areas covered by different types of vegetation, their grass production, the correction coefficients for decreasing of pasture forage stocks in winter and decreasing of production of grass communities in dry years. Based on pasture forage stocks the area could tolerate the maximum population size of 1769 individuals of the Przewalski horse, their average density could be 0.11 horse per ha. Yet, as watering places for animals are limited in Pre-Urals Steppe, grazing pressures on the vegetation next to the water sources may increase in dry years. That is why the above-mentioned calculated maximum population size and density must be reduced at least by half until some additional watering places are established and monitoring of the grazing effect on the vegetation next to the places is carried out regularly. Thus, the maximum size of the population is estimated at 800 to 900 individuals, which is almost 1.5 times more than necessary to establish a self-sustained population of the Przewalski horse.

Extending the temporal context of ethnobotanical databases: the case study of the Campania region (southern Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pollio Antonino

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Ethnobotanical studies generally describe the traditional knowledge of a territory according to a "hic et nunc" principle. The need of approaching this field also embedding historical data has been frequently acknowledged. With their long history of civilization some regions of the Mediterranean basin seem to be particularly suited for an historical approach to be adopted. Campania, a region of southern Italy, has been selected for a database implementation containing present and past information on plant uses. Methods A relational database has been built on the basis of information gathered from different historical sources, including diaries, travel accounts, and treatises on medicinal plants, written by explorers, botanists, physicians, who travelled in Campania during the last three centuries. Moreover, ethnobotanical uses described in historical herbal collections and in Ancient and Medieval texts from the Mediterranean Region have been included in the database. Results 1672 different uses, ranging from medicinal, to alimentary, ceremonial, veterinary, have been recorded for 474 species listed in the data base. Information is not uniformly spread over the Campanian territory; Sannio being the most studied geographical area and Cilento the least one. About 50 plants have been continuously used in the last three centuries in the cure of the same affections. A comparison with the uses reported for the same species in Ancient treatises shows that the origin of present ethnomedicine from old learned medical doctrines needs a case-by-case confirmation. Conclusion The database is flexible enough to represent a useful tool for researchers who need to store and compare present and previous ethnobotanical uses from Mediterranean Countries.

Southern Appalachian assessment. Summary report, Report 1 of 5

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-07-01

This final report for the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Program is comprised of two documents: (1) a brief summary of programs and projects, and (2) a more extensive summary report included as an attachment. The purpose of the program is to promote a sustainable balance between the conservation of biological diversity, compatible economic uses, and cultural values across the Southern Appalachians. Program and project areas addressing regional issues include environmental monitoring and assessment, sustainable development/sustainable technologies, conservation biology, ecosystem management, environmental education and training, cultural and historical resources, and public information and education. The attached summary report is one of five that documents the results of the Southern Appalachian Assessment; it includes atmospheric, social/cultural/economic, terrestrial, and aquatic reports.

Climate and southern Africa's water-energy-food nexus

Science.gov (United States)

Conway, Declan; van Garderen, Emma Archer; Deryng, Delphine; Dorling, Steve; Krueger, Tobias; Landman, Willem; Lankford, Bruce; Lebek, Karen; Osborn, Tim; Ringler, Claudia; Thurlow, James; Zhu, Tingju; Dalin, Carole

2015-09-01

In southern Africa, the connections between climate and the water-energy-food nexus are strong. Physical and socioeconomic exposure to climate is high in many areas and in crucial economic sectors. Spatial interdependence is also high, driven, for example, by the regional extent of many climate anomalies and river basins and aquifers that span national boundaries. There is now strong evidence of the effects of individual climate anomalies, but associations between national rainfall and gross domestic product and crop production remain relatively weak. The majority of climate models project decreases in annual precipitation for southern Africa, typically by as much as 20% by the 2080s. Impact models suggest these changes would propagate into reduced water availability and crop yields. Recognition of spatial and sectoral interdependencies should inform policies, institutions and investments for enhancing water, energy and food security. Three key political and economic instruments could be strengthened for this purpose: the Southern African Development Community, the Southern African Power Pool and trade of agricultural products amounting to significant transfers of embedded water.

Climate and Southern Africa's Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Science.gov (United States)

Conway, D.; Osborn, T.; Dorling, S.; Ringler, C.; Lankford, B.; Dalin, C.; Thurlow, J.; Zhu, T.; Deryng, D.; Landman, W.; Archer van Garderen, E.; Krueger, T.; Lebek, K.

2014-12-01

Numerous challenges coalesce to make Southern Africa emblematic of the connections between climate and the water-energy-food nexus. Rainfall and river flows in the region show high levels of variability across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Physical and socioeconomic exposure to climate variability and change is high, for example, the contribution of electricity produced from hydroelectric sources is over 30% in Madagascar and Zimbabwe and almost 100% in the DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zambia. The region's economy is closely linked with that of the rest of the African continent and climate-sensitive food products are an important item of trade. Southern Africa's population is concentrated in regions exposed to high levels of hydro-meteorological variability, and will increase rapidly over the next four decades. The capacity to manage the effects of climate variability tends, however, to be low. Moreover, with climate change annual precipitation levels, soil moisture and runoff are likely to decrease and rising temperatures will increase evaporative demand. Despite high levels of hydro-meteorological variability, the sectoral and cross-sectoral water-energy-food linkages with climate in Southern Africa have not been considered in detail. Lack of data and questionable reliability are compounded by complex dynamic relationships. We review the role of climate in Southern Africa's nexus, complemented by empirical analysis of national level data on climate, water resources, crop and energy production, and economic activity. Our aim is to examine the role of climate variability as a driver of production fluctuations in the nexus, and to improve understanding of the magnitude and temporal dimensions of their interactions. We first consider national level exposure of food, water and energy production to climate in aggregate economic terms and then examine the linkages between interannual and multi-year climate variability and economic activity, focusing on food and

Source apportionment and health effect of NO_x over the Pearl River Delta region in southern China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Xingcheng; Yao, Teng; Li, Ying; Fung, Jimmy C.H.; Lau, Alexis K.H.

2016-01-01

As one of the most notorious atmospheric pollutants, NO_x not only promotes the formation of ozone but also has adverse health effects on humans. It is therefore of great importance to study the sources of NO_x and its effects on human health. The Comprehensive Air Quality Model (CAMx) modeling system and ozone source apportionment technology (OSAT) were used to study the contribution of NO_x from different emission sources over southern China. The results indicate that heavy duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) and industrial point sources are the two major local NO_x sources, accounting for 30.8% and 18.5% of local NO_x sources, respectively. In Hong Kong, marine emissions contributed around 43.4% of local NO_x in 2011. Regional transport is another important source of this pollutant, especially in February and November, and it can contribute over 30% of ambient NO_x on average. Power plant point emission is an significant regional source in Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Foshan. The total emission sources are estimated to cause 2119 (0–4405) respiratory deaths and 991 (0–2281) lung cancer deaths due to long-term exposure to NO_x in the Pearl River Delta region. Our results suggest that local governments should combine their efforts and vigorously promote further reduction of NO_x emissions, especially for those sources that make a substantial contribution to NO_x emissions and affect human health: HDDV, LDGV, industrial point sources and marine sources. - Highlights: • WRF-CAMx modeling system with OSAT was used to study the source of NO_x over Pearl River Delta region in China. • The results indicated that local emission and regional transportation are important contributors for NO_x in this region. • Heavy duty diesel vehicle, marine emission and industrial point source are three important contribution sectors. • Long-term exposure to NO_x is estimated to cause 2119 respiratory deaths and 991 lung cancer deaths in PRD during 2011. - Result indicated that heavy duty

21st Century African Philosophy of Adult and Human Resource Education in Southern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Mutamba, Charlene

2012-01-01

This paper will attempt to define a philosophy of adult education for the purpose of workforce development in Southern Africa. The different influences such as Ubuntu and communalism, indigenous education, diversity western philosophy, globalization and technology are explored in the context of the Southern African region.

Ancient DNA sequences point to a large loss of mitochondrial genetic diversity in the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) since the Pleistocene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Campos, Paula; Kristensen, Tommy; Orlando, Ludovic Antoine Alexandre

2010-01-01

of the Soviet Union, after which its populations were reduced by over 95%. We have analysed the mitochondrial control region sequence variation of 27 ancient and 38 modern specimens, to assay how the species' genetic diversity has changed since the Pleistocene. Phylogenetic analyses reveal the existence of two...... well-supported, and clearly distinct, clades of saiga. The first, spanning a time range from >49,500 (14) C ybp to the present, comprises all the modern specimens and ancient samples from the Northern Urals, Middle Urals and Northeast Yakutia. The second clade is exclusive to the Northern Urals...... and includes samples dating from between 40,400 to 10,250 (14) C ybp. Current genetic diversity is much lower than that present during the Pleistocene, an observation that data modelling using serial coalescent indicates cannot be explained by genetic drift in a population of constant size. Approximate...

Spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and attribution of extreme regional low temperature event

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Tai-Chen; Zhang, Ke-Quan; Su, Hai-Jing; Wang, Xiao-Juan; Gong, Zhi-Qiang; Zhang, Wen-Yu

2015-10-01

Based on an objective identification technique for regional low temperature event (OITRLTE), the daily minimum temperature in China has been detected from 1960 to 2013. During this period, there were 60 regional extreme low temperature events (ERLTEs), which are included in the 690 regional low temperature events (RLTEs). The 60 ERLTEs are analyzed in this paper. The results show that in the last 50 years, the intensity of the ERLTEs has become weak; the number of lasted days has decreased; and, the affected area has become small. However, that situation has changed in this century. In terms of spatial distribution, the high intensity regions are mainly in Northern China while the high frequency regions concentrate in Central and Eastern China. According to the affected area of each event, the 60 ERLTEs are classified into six types. The atmospheric circulation background fields which correspond to these types are also analyzed. The results show that, influenced by stronger blocking highs of Ural and Lake Baikal, as well as stronger southward polar vortex and East Asia major trough at 500-hPa geopotential height, cold air from high latitudes is guided to move southward and abnormal northerly winds at 850 hPa makes the cold air blow into China along diverse paths, thereby forming different types of regional extreme low temperatures in winter. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41305075), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 2012CB955203 and 2012CB955902), and the Special Scientific Research on Public Welfare Industry, China (Grant No. GYHY201306049).

Return levels of temperature extremes in southern Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Zahid, Maida; Blender, Richard; Lucarini, Valerio; Caterina Bramati, Maria

2017-12-01

Southern Pakistan (Sindh) is one of the hottest regions in the world and is highly vulnerable to temperature extremes. In order to improve rural and urban planning, it is useful to gather information about the recurrence of temperature extremes. In this work, return levels of the daily maximum temperature Tmax are estimated, as well as the daily maximum wet-bulb temperature TWmax extremes. We adopt the peaks over threshold (POT) method, which has not yet been used for similar studies in this region. Two main datasets are analyzed: temperatures observed at nine meteorological stations in southern Pakistan from 1980 to 2013, and the ERA-Interim (ECMWF reanalysis) data for the nearest corresponding locations. The analysis provides the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year return levels (RLs) of temperature extremes. The 90 % quantile is found to be a suitable threshold for all stations. We find that the RLs of the observed Tmax are above 50 °C at northern stations and above 45 °C at the southern stations. The RLs of the observed TWmax exceed 35 °C in the region, which is considered as a limit of survivability. The RLs estimated from the ERA-Interim data are lower by 3 to 5 °C than the RLs assessed for the nine meteorological stations. A simple bias correction applied to ERA-Interim data improves the RLs remarkably, yet discrepancies are still present. The results have potential implications for the risk assessment of extreme temperatures in Sindh.

Conservation and Environmental Education in Southern Appalachian Schools. A Report of a Needs Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Bousquet, Woodward S.; Jarvis, Ralph W.

An assessment of conservation and environmental education needs in southern Appalachian schools is provided in this survey. Superintendents of school districts and teachers within the southern Appalachian region responded to a questionnaire which was designed to determine: (1) the current status of conservation and environmental education; (2)…

Stress- and Structure-Induced Anisotropy in Southern California From Two Decades of Shear Wave Splitting Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zefeng; Peng, Zhigang

2017-10-01

We measure shear wave splitting (SWS) parameters (i.e., fast direction and delay time) using 330,000 local earthquakes recorded by more than 400 stations of the Southern California Seismic Network (1995-2014). The resulting 232,000 SWS measurements (90,000 high-quality ones) provide a uniform and comprehensive database of local SWS measurements in Southern California. The fast directions at many stations are consistent with regional maximum compressional stress σHmax. However, several regions show clear deviations from the σHmax directions. These include linear sections along the San Andreas Fault and the Santa Ynez Fault, geological blocks NW to the Los Angeles Basin, regions around the San Jacinto Fault, the Peninsular Ranges near San Diego, and the Coso volcanic field. These complex patterns show that regional stresses and active faults cannot adequately explain the upper crustal anisotropy in Southern California. Other types of local structures, such as local rock types or tectonic features, also play significant roles.

Climate Change Amplifications of Climate-Fire Teleconnections in the Southern Hemisphere

Science.gov (United States)

Mariani, Michela; Holz, Andrés.; Veblen, Thomas T.; Williamson, Grant; Fletcher, Michael-Shawn; Bowman, David M. J. S.

2018-05-01

Recent changes in trend and variability of the main Southern Hemisphere climate modes are driven by a variety of factors, including increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases, changes in tropical sea surface temperature, and stratospheric ozone depletion and recovery. One of the most important implications for climatic change is its effect via climate teleconnections on natural ecosystems, water security, and fire variability in proximity to populated areas, thus threatening human lives and properties. Only sparse and fragmentary knowledge of relationships between teleconnections, lightning strikes, and fire is available during the observed record within the Southern Hemisphere. This constitutes a major knowledge gap for undertaking suitable management and conservation plans. Our analysis of documentary fire records from Mediterranean and temperate regions across the Southern Hemisphere reveals a critical increased strength of climate-fire teleconnections during the onset of the 21st century including a tight coupling between lightning-ignited fire occurrences, the upward trend in the Southern Annular Mode, and rising temperatures across the Southern Hemisphere.