Quantification and modelling of Fluxes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to Antarctic marine benthic organisms

Marine benthic ecosystems are considered to be the final sink of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Antarctica is a global net receptor of POPs, therefore, quantification of fluxes of POPs to and in the Antarctic benthic ecosystems, although practically difficult, is essential to understand the overall dynamics of these contaminants on a global scale.  In order to achieve that, Antarctic benthic ecosystems were studied as an integral part of the Antarctic environment as a whole. Furthermore, robust quality assurance and reporting practices are needed to establish comprehensive time trends of these pollutants, especially due to their expected relatively low concentrations.  Current thesis was one of the first attempts to assess fluxes of POPs to benthic Antarctic ecosystems. The major outcome of the study is the conformation of the hypothesis on potentially increasing concentrations of POPs in the benthic ecosystems. Simultaneously, the concentrations of POPs in the pelagic ecosystems may have also stopped decreasing, which was previously indicated. Nevertheless, the fluxes of POPs and, possibly, their toxicological effects on the Antarctic benthic animals will undergo considerable changes in the future due to global change, which must be researched further in detail

Standards for achieving a comfortable design for the Alzheimer's patients pathways

The elderly is an essential part of society because of their interaction with their surrounding environment and their personal experiences. They were categorized into several levels based on the physiological and psychological needs. Alzheimer's patients constitute a good percentage within society, but there is no accurate data. In cases where the patient suffers from a progressive lack of spatial awareness, studies have developed several criteria to study semi-open spaces intended for the elderly. However, it did not set design standards. Consequently, this paper examines the design standards and requirements for Alzheimer's patients. It is a virtual practical study that simulates optimal standards

Secure pseudo-random linear binary sequences generators based on arithmetic polynoms

We present a new approach to constructing of pseudo-random binary sequences (PRS) generators for the purpose of cryptographic data protection, secured from the perpetrator's attacks, caused by generation of masses of hardware errors and faults. The new method is based on use of linear polynomial arithmetic for the realization of systems of boolean characteristic functions of PRS' generators. "Arithmetizatio" of systems of logic formulas has allowed to apply mathematical apparatus of residue systems for multisequencing of the process of PRS generation and organizing control of computing errors, caused by hardware faults. This has guaranteed high security of PRS generator's functioning and, consequently, security of tools for cryptographic data protection based on those PRSs

An Overview of Techniques for Cardiac Left Ventricle Segmentation on Short-Axis MRI

Nowadays, heart diseases are the leading cause of death. Left ventricle segmentation of a human heart in magnetic resonance images (MRI) is a crucial step in both cardiac diseases diagnostics and heart internal structure reconstruction. It allows estimating such important parameters as ejection faction, left ventricle myocardium mass, stroke volume, etc. In addition, left ventricle segmentation helps to construct the personalized heart computational models in order to conduct the numerical simulations. At present, the fully automated cardiac segmentation methods still do not meet the accuracy requirements. We present an overview of left ventricle segmentation algorithms on short-axis MRI. A wide variety of completely different approaches are used for cardiac segmentation, including machine learning, graph-based methods, deformable models, and low-level heuristics. The current state-of-the-art technique is a combination of deformable models with advanced machine learning methods, such as deep learning or Markov random fields. We expect that approaches based on deep belief networks are the most promising ones because the main training process of networks with this architecture can be performed on the unlabelled data. In order to improve the quality of left ventricle segmentation algorithms, we need more datasets with labelled cardiac MRI data in open access

Activity and isoenzyme spectrum of peroxidases and dehydrins of some plant species, growing on the shores of lake Baikal, under abiotic stress

Termostability and optimal pH of weak-associated with plant cell wall and soluble peroxidases was shown to change in relation to natural conditions and season of year. Also the activity of peroxidase was variable during vegetation period. Dehydrine expression was followed by spike of peroxidase activity (and, a priori, an increase of hydrogen peroxide concentration)

Nature of zircon clastics in the Riphean and Vendian sandstones of the Southern Urals

New age dates of detrital zircons of terrigenous rocks augmented the possibilities of interpretation of their provenance. Unfortunately this interpretation is restricted by a formal comparison of age-and-composition characteristics of detrital crystals with any very distant model objects. The paper deals with a situation when the role of a source of a detritus is claimed by local objects. When comparing the age parameters of primary and detrital crystals of zircons, the data on Riphean volcanics and ancient metamorphics of the Taratash complex of the Southern Urals were used. Specifying the ideas on the nature of the zircon clastics (detritus) and its relationships with primary zircons of sources, a role of processes of mechanical abrasion is pointed out, leading to a clearing of heterogenous primary grains of defect crystals, which results in an accumulation of crystals of more homogenous appearance. The analysis of SHRIMP and TIMS-dates of zircons and U and Th concentrations in them, and also a comparison of histograms of primary zircons from Riphean volcanics and rocks of the Taratash complex on one hand and the detrital zircons from the Vendian and Riphean sandstones of the Southern Urals on the other, have shown that the age variations of both are rather comparable. It means that the age characteristics of primary zircons from the Riphean volcanics and rocks of the Taratash complex as sources of zircon clastics for the Riphean and Vendian sandstones are regulated by processes of resedimentation, and a detrital fraction of zircons is formed at the expense of local objects. The participation of very distant sources is not excluded, but in our case it is not detected

Simulation of heat-transfer processes and assessment of the viscoplastic parameters of iron ore in blast furnaces

Stages in the development of an information and simulation system for assessing the position and shape of the viscoplastic iron-ore zone (the cohesion zone) in the blast furnace are outlined. This system also permits diagnostics of the zone's optimal configuration on the basis of available operational information for the furnace in the baseline period. In addition, the system proves useful during the design period, with variation in the smelting parameters. The capabilities of the corresponding software are discussed, and its use in blast-furnace control at OAO Magnitogorskii Metallurgicheskii Kombinat is demonstrated. © 2013 Allerton Press, Inc

Legacy and Emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants in Antarctic Benthic Invertebrates near Rothera Point, Western Antarctic Peninsula

The levels of pollutants in polar regions is gaining progressively more attention from the science community. This is especially so for pollutants that persist in the environment and can reach polar latitudes via a wide range of routes, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). In this study samples of Antarctic marine benthic organisms were analysed for legacy and emerging POPs to comprehensively assess the current POPs concentrations in Antarctic benthos and infer the potential sources of the pollutants. Specimens of 5 different benthic invertebrate species were collected in 2 distinct locations near the Rothera Research station (67°35'8"S and 68°7'59"W). Any impact of the nearby Rothera Station as a local source of pollution appeared to be negligible. The most abundant chemicals detected were HCB and BDE-209, reaching the highest concentrations in limpets and urchins, followed by sea stars, ascidians and sea cucumbers. The relative congener patterns of PCBs and PBDEs were almost the same in all species. Some chemicals (e.g. Heptachlor, Oxychlordane and Mirex) were detected in the Antarctic invertebrates for the first time. Statistical methods revealed that the distribution of the POPs is not only driven by the feeding traits of the species, but also by the physico-chemical properties of the individual compounds. Benthic invertebrates are excellent indicators of the contaminant patterns of inshore Antarctic ecosystems