An orchid (Orchidaceae)-rich area recommended for preservation in Novosibirsk Region, Russia

The spatial distribution of 14 species of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) was studied at the left bank of the Koynikha River (Iskitimskiy District, Novosibirsk Region, Russia). Four species are listed in the Russian Federation Red Data Book, four are listed in the Novosibirsk Region Red Data Book. The number of individual plants is sufficient to ensure the long-term viability of each red-listed orchid population. What is apparently one of the largest populations of Cypripedium macranthos in the region is described (up to 5,000 individuals). Some of the orchids discovered require further study, namely interspecific hybrids of Dactylorhiza and Gymnadenia and distinctive floral developmental morphs of Platanthera. Аpplying the international criteria for allocation of an “Important Plant Area”, we nominate a new one for South Siberia. Based on the analysis of plant species composition of protected areas in Novosibirsk Region, we conclude that in situ preservation of orchids in the region is overall insufficient. It is therefore necessary to organize a new protected area “Orchid Zapovednik” in the category of “botanical Zakaznik” on 335 hectares with an explicit floral diversity conservation mandate and long-term orchid population monitoring

Feeling of agency versus judgment of agency in passive movements with various delays from the stimulus

Background. The sense of agency (SoA) provides us with the experience of be­ing a physical agent with free will. On a phenomenological basis, SoA can be di­vided into sensory components (feeling of agency, FoA) and more cognitive com­ponents (judgment of agency, JoA). Both these components can be independently measured. Objective and Method. A new method was developed to test the possibility of preserving SoA and its components in the atypical conditions of passive movements. Parameters of the participant’s movement in response to a visual stimulus (reaction time, speed, and amplitude) were measured and used to control a servo that simu­lated the movement (executed passive movements). The scores on the psychometric scale of the agency and the event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded for variable movement delays relative to the stimulus onset. Results. It was found that the FoA was not present under passive movement con­ditions. At the same time, participants associated these movements with their own activity (JoA), even when their delay after the stimulus onset was too short to be ac­tively reproduced. The somatosensory ERPs’ amplitude decreased for the expected movements, demonstrating an inverse relationship with the agency scores. The lowest amplitude was observed when movements were actuated by another hand. The results can be explained using a predictive forward model, since the FoA was not observed in the absence of active movements. On the other hand, the ERPs’ data and the presence of JoA with various delays between the stimulus and movement support the postdic­tive model of agency, where the leading role is assigned to prejudice and contextual knowledge related to the action. Conclusion. It seems that the “context pressure” of the situation, demanding a mandatory response to the stimulus, forms a cognitive prediction of movements without firm sensory representation

Pulsed Field-Induced Magnetization Switching in Antiferromagnetic Ferrihydrite Nanoparticles

The dynamic magnetization switching of ferrihydrite nanoparticles has been investigated by a pulsed magnetometer technique in maximum fields Hmax of up to 130 kOe with pulse lengths of 4, 8, and 16 ms. Ferrihydrite exhibits antiferromagnetic ordering and defects cause the uncompensated magnetic moment in nanoparticles; therefore, the behavior typical of magnetic nanoparticles is observed. The dynamic hysteresis loops measured under the above-mentioned conditions show that the use of pulsed fields significantly broadens the temperature region of existence of the magnetic hysteresis and the coercivity can be governed by varying the maximum field and pulse length. This behavior is resulted from the relaxation effects typical of conventional ferro- and ferrimagnetic nanoparticles and the features typical of antiferromagnetic nanoparticles