Towards Circular Economy. Based on Voluntary Standards of Companies : What to Change in Law to Enhance Circular Economy?

In the last years those companies that pay close attention to transition of their business models to circular economy have adopted good practices to deal with waste prevention and management. High voluntary standards are set and enforced throughout the supply chain. However, good practices and high voluntary standards are taken seriously by the limited number of companies, predominantly, by those who want to be on rider’s seat and show example to peers. The recent EU Circular Economy Action Plan, released in March 2020, emphasizes that scaling up the circular economy from front-runners to the mainstream economic players will make a decisive contribution to transition to circular economy that will help to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, decoupling economic growth from resource use, keeping resource consumption within planetary boundaries. The Master Thesis departs from the assumption that there is a need for legal reform in the fields of circular economy law and company law to enhance circular economy for business. It is essential to turn modern policies that are in place into reality on the ground. The project aims to answer the question what legal reforms are necessary and should be prioritized

Study of types of defects in wood chipboard production

Types of defects in wood chipboard production and losses connected with the defects were studied. Faulty products were studied by statistical methods of control; analysis of causes of faulty products at wood chipboards production was carried out. Economical appraisal of losses according to peculiarities of production was given

Tree diversity patterns along the latitudinal gradient in the northwestern Russia

Background One of the key forest characteristics is the biodiversity, particularly the diversity of trees which are forest ecosystem engineers. Nowadays the most worldwide common approach for assessment of forest conditions and dynamics is based on the systematic monitoring, performed at a set of regularly structured plots. To fulfill the existing gap in this sort of knowledge on the Russian forests, an extensive study of tree species diversity on a regular network was conducted in north-west of Russia. Methods The study used the ICP Forests monitoring network that spans over 1700 km along the western Russian border from forest-tundra in the north to broadleaved-coniferous forests in the south. Tree data were collected at 710 sites that were assigned along a regular grid. We performed series of statistical analyses of the tree species distribution and diversity in relation to environmental and anthropogenic factors. Results According to the Maxent species distribution modelling results only Pinus sylvestris, Betula sp. and Picea abies have the potential to grow throughout the study area. The locally maximum tree species diversity varies along the latitudinal gradient from 1 to 3 species in the north to 5–7 species in the south. Monocultural stands are relatively abundant across the study area, being especially common in the south taiga. The prevailing part of the monocultural stands is represented by Scots pine (72%). The age distribution of dominant trees has a clear connection with the intensity of forest use. We found that recent wildfire events had only little effect on tree diversity in the study area. Conclusions We demonstrated that ICP Forests monitoring network enables to successfully establish the main qualitative and quantitative relations of the spatial variation of tree species diversity to climatic, landscape, soil and anthropogenic factors. Analysis of the influence of these factors on tree species distribution allowed us to conclude that with the continuing trend of reducing the frequency and intensity of fires, Norway spruce will further replace Scots pine and Betula sp. in the north-western Russia. Extending the monitoring network, especially adding the time-series context, could provide novel appealing opportunities for forest dynamics projection and sustainable management.Peer reviewe

Aurora A kinase activity influences calcium signaling in kidney cells

Aurora A is abnormally expressed and activated in cells lining cysts associated with polycystic kidney disease and can phosphorylate and inactivate polycystin 2

The Role of Metadiscourse in the Conversational Discourse Space

In this paper we propose a space model of conversational discourse in which metadiscourse is an essential component. Discourse space is viewed as an extension of the notion of text space which brings together text and talk. 'Text' is used to refer to the product of writing, while 'conversation' is studied as the product of speaking, and 'talk' is understood as ongoing interaction. Discourse space is defined as a domain in which certain discourses co-occur and function together. We argue that discourse space is a notion which helps structure information in a conversation, namely delimit the factual information and the information about the interpersonal relations between the participants. The examples analyzed clearly show that conversational discourse consists of two co-discourses. 'Discourse per se' is concerned with the states of affairs in the represented world (who is doing what to whom, when, where, why, how). 'Metadiscourse' conveys information about role relationships among the participants, including permanent and temporary relationships and the speech roles that the participants are taking on in the conversation. Our emphasis is on discovering the manner in which 'discourse' and 'metadiscourse' are brought together and their respective contributions to the formation of meaning in a conversation. In some conversations it is possible to identify and delimit a particular metadiscourse as a single structural unit or as various structural installments. In other words, it is possible to identify where metadiscourse begins, what parts it consists of, and where it ends. But there are conversations where the occurrence of metadiscourse is less obvious. We begin with the superficial, or observable, level of metadiscourse representation, and then we move to the deeper, or underlying, dimensions of metadiscourse realization in a conversation. This order of analysis is not arbitrary: observable manifestations of metadiscourse prove that it is a particular form of language use, which is a particular selection of morphemes, words and sentences. Interestingly, however, it is not merely the linguistic forms that play a role, but also the implicit information inferred from the discourse space. So, 'discourse space' is a notion that belongs rather to a semantic or cognitive approach to discourse

Rapid calcium-dependent activation of Aurora-A kinase

Oncogenic hyperactivation of the mitotic kinase Aurora-A (AurA) in cancer is associated with genomic instability. Increasing evidence indicates that AurA also regulates critical processes in normal interphase cells, but the source of such activity has been obscure. We report here that multiple stimuli causing release of Ca2+ from intracellular endoplasmic reticulum stores rapidly and transiently activate AurA, without requirement for second messengers. This activation is mediated by direct Ca2+-dependent calmodulin (CaM) binding to multiple motifs on AurA. On the basis of structure–function analysis and molecular modelling, we map two primary regions of CaM-AurA interaction to unfolded sequences in the AurA N- and C-termini. This unexpected mechanism for AurA activation provides a new context for evaluating the function of AurA and its inhibitors in normal and cancerous cells

Detection and defect correction of operating process

The article is devoted to the current problem of enterprise competitiveness rise in hard and competitive terms of business environment. The importance of modern equipment for detection of defects and their correction is explained. Production of chipboard is used as an object of research. Short description and main results of estimation efficiency of innovative solutions of enterprises are considered