High frequency oscillations in relation to interictal spikes in predicting postsurgical seizure freedom

We evaluate whether interictal spikes, epileptiform HFOs and their co-occurrence (Spike + HFO) were included in the resection area with respect to seizure outcome. We also characterise the relationship between high frequency oscillations (HFOs) and propagating spikes. We analysed intracranial EEG of 20 patients that underwent resective epilepsy surgery. The co-occurrence of ripples and fast ripples was considered an HFO event; the co-occurrence of an interictal spike and HFO was considered a Spike + HFO event. HFO distribution and spike onset were compared in cases of spike propagation. Accuracy in predicting seizure outcome was 85% for HFO, 60% for Spikes, and 79% for Spike + HFO. Sensitivity was 57% for HFO, 71% for Spikes and 67% for Spikes + HFO. Specificity was 100% for HFO, 54% for Spikes and 85% for Spikes + HFO. In 2/2 patients with spike propagation, the spike onset included the HFO area. Combining interictal spikes with HFO had comparable accuracy to HFO. In patients with propagating spikes, HFO rate was maximal at the onset of spike propagation

Northern labyrinths: potential for interdisciplinary research and a resource for international tourism

The article presents the scientific rationale for the project of creating a geographic database on northern labyrinths ancient stone structures and petroglyphs located on the coasts and islands of Northern Europe. The aim of the project is to conduct interdisciplinary research of labyrinths-gnomons (tools for orientation in space and time according to the Sun) as a source of information about ancient marine communications, development of navigation technologies, as well as coastal changes in the Arctic region and climatic rhythms of our planet. The research algorithm includes standard methods of complex geographical descriptions; solution of the equation based on the main trigonometric function; analysis of stable relationships in the system “object - landscape - geographic space - Earth - Universe”. The relationship of the structure of labyrinths performing instrumental functions with the geographical latitude, as well as with the long-period rhythms of the planet, which are most clearly manifested in the Arctic region, is considered. The influence of navigation technologies on the physical development of geographic space and its modeling at the local (toponyms), regional (territorial systems and communications) and global levels (modern scientific picture of the world and ancient information models preserved in mythopoetic form) is shown. It is concluded that the creation of a regional geographic database on labyrinths will contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage sites, replenishment of the resources of international tourism in the Arctic region, the development of scientific communications uniting scientists from the northern countries

Paleoreconstruction of natural conditions as the basis for the rational use of natural resource management on the territory of the Neva Lowland

Modeling the evolution and dynamics of hydrological conditions of the Neva Lowland is of great theoretical and practical importance. The lowland is located in the Neva River basin, through which water from Europe’s largest Lake Ladoga flows. From the Mesolithic to the present day, the river has been a source of drinking water and biological resources and an important transportation route. The location of the river at a major crossroads of transcontinental routes connecting West and East, North and South Eurasia, determined the metropolitan functions of the territory and the development of the multi-million city of St. Petersburg. The city’s location on the Neva Lowland caused floods and gave rise to a number of environmental and geo-environmental problems. To optimize the use of natural resources, the cartographic models of the terrain are in great demand, on their basis it is possible to improve quantitative assessment and trends of waterlogging processes, submergence, risks of floods and disturbances in the water balance, exceeding the concentration of pollutants in water and bottom sediments. Reconstructions of hydrological conditions of the Neva Lowland in the Holocene are of interest for clarifying the evolution of natural and climatic conditions of the North-West Russian Plain. The aim of the article is to discuss the possibility of using GIS methods to study changes in hydrological conditions on the basis of actual data obtained so far in geography and archeology (geo-position and dating of objects of nature and material culture). The result of the work are maps that allow solving the problems of rational zoning of the territory, taking into account geological and environmental risks

Meteorological and air quality measurements in a city region with complex terrain: influence of meteorological phenomena on urban climate

On 8 and 9 July 2018 extensive observations were conducted under fair-weather conditions in the German city of Stuttgart and its surroundings. This intensive observation period, part of the four weeks Urban Climate Under Change (UC)2 campaign, intended to provide a comprehensive data set to understand the complex interactions of thermally induced wind systems, vertical turbulent mixing and air pollutant concentration distribution in the atmospheric boundary layer of the city. Stuttgart has a very special and complex topography with a city center located in a basin surrounded by hills with heights of 250 to 300 m influencing the wind and flow system, reducing the wind speed, causing inhibited dispersion of air pollutants. Cold air flows from the surrounding plains can penetrate into the urban areas and influence the urban climate including the air quality. For investigating these effects with a focus on urban climate, combinations of different measurement platforms and techniques were used, such as in situ stationary and mobile measurements with cars, vertical profiling by means of tethered balloons, radiosondes, a drone, and aircraft observations, remote sensing devices and satellite-based instruments. Numerous atmospheric processes in an urban area regarding boundary layer evolution, inversion, local wind systems, urban heat island, etc. were observed. Some important findings are: Temperature observations provide local information about the warmest areas in the city and about the city and its surroundings. The urban heat island effect was evident from the results of stationary and mobile air temperature measurements as higher air temperature was measured in Stuttgart basin compared to its surroundings. Considerable spatio-temporal differences concerning the wind (speed and direction), turbulence and the convective boundary depth are evident. Lower wind speeds were observed during the nighttime and the main wind direction in the Stuttgart valley was measured to be southwest, which carried cold air from the hillsides into the city and pollutants to the windward side of the city into the Neckar valley. The low wind speed favored the accumulation of pollutants in a shallow nocturnal boundary layer close to the surface. During the day, the overall pollutant concentration was reduced by vertical convective mixing. The vertical profile measurements have shown that the applied techniques provided a good overview to understand the vertical characteristics of meteorological parameters and pollutants as well as the stability of the atmosphere and extent of the urban boundary layer. It also showed that the extent of atmospheric mixing determines the dispersion, dilution and mixing of emitted pollutants. Finally, the additional comprehensive air-chemical observations (surface and satellite based) allow understanding the diurnal cycle of air pollutants in the atmospheric boundary layer of the city of Stuttgart. Satellite-based observations from Sentinel‑5P/TROPOMI have shown their potential for mapping urban pollution islands and urban pollution plumes even in cities with a complex terrain like Stuttgart. These observations assisted to obtain a comprehensive data set intended for the validation of a novel urban climate model, PALM‑4U

Allelic Variation Analysis at the Vernalization Response and Photoperiod Genes in Russian Wheat Varieties Identified Two Novel Alleles of Vrn-B3

Heading time is an important agronomic trait affecting the adaptability and productivity of common wheat. In this study, 95 common wheat varieties from Russia and the late-maturing breeding line ‘Velut’ were tested for allelic diversity of genes having the strongest effect on heading. In this research, allelic variation at the Ppd-D1, Vrn-A1, Vrn-B1, Vrn-D1, and Vrn-B3 loci was tested. The Vrn-B1 and Vrn-B3 loci provided the largest contribution to genetic diversity. We found two novel allelic variants of the Vrn-B3 gene in the studied varieties. Ten varieties carried a 160 bp insertion in the promoter region, and the breeding line ‘Velut’ carried a 1617 bp insertion. These alleles were designated Vrn-B3e and Vrn-B3d, respectively. The analysis of the sequences showed the recent insertion of a retrotransposon homologous to the LTR retrotransposon (RLX_Hvul_Dacia_ RND-1) in the Vrn-B3d allele. Plants with the Vrn-B3e and the ‘Velut’ line with the Vrn-B3d allele headed later than the plants with the wild-type allele; among these plants, ‘Velut’ is the latest maturing wheat variety. Analysis of the gene expression of two groups of lines differing by the Vrn-B3 alleles (Vrn-B3d or vrn-B3) from the F2 population with ‘Velut’ as a parental line did not reveal a significant difference in the expression level between the groups. Additional research is required to study the reasons for the late maturation of the ‘Velut’ line. However, the studied wheat varieties could be used as a potential source of natural variation in genes controlling heading times

Research of Environmental and Economic Interactions of Coke And By-Product Process

The issues of showing relations between environmental and economic indicators (further - environmental and economic interactions) of coke and by-product process are considered in the article. The purpose of the study is to reveal the regularities of the functioning of the local environmental and economic system on the basis of revealed spectrum of environmental and economic interactions. A simplified scheme of the environmental and economic system “coke and by-product process - the environment” was developed. The forms of the investigated environmental-economic interactions were visualized and the selective interpretation of the tightness of the established connection was made. The main result of the work is modeling system of environmental and economic interactions that allows increasing the efficiency of local ecological and economic system management and optimizing the “interests” of an industrial enterprise - the source of negative impact on the environment. The results of the survey can be recommended to government authorities and industrial enterprises with a wide range of negative impact forms to support the adoption of effective management decisions aimed at sustainable environmental and economic development of the region or individual municipalities

Determination of the Elements of Architecture Students' Readiness to Conduct Professional Activities

The relevance of the study is due to higher requirements for the professional training of engineering specialists and the need to determine the most significant aspects of their readiness to conduct professional activities. Focus on certain training aspects will make it possible to increase both the quality and the speed of specialist training, as well as contribute to their personal motivation and help them reveal their talents. The purpose of the study is to identify the elements of archi-tecture student readiness to conduct professional activities. The study took place at the Ural State University of Architecture and Art (Russia, Yekaterinburg); it involved 120 four- and five-year-students of the Faculty of Architecture, as well as 12 faculty teachers and 154 graduates of different graduation years who have from 5 to 20 years of professional experience. Based on the analysis of available research on professionalism and professional readiness, as well as a preliminary participant survey, a number of elements of students' readiness for professional activities have been identified. The concept of students' readiness to conduct pro-fessional activities has been clarified; it is described as complex integrative struc-ture, which simultaneously reflects the level of development of professionally important qualities and abilities of specialists, especially their attitude to profes-sion. The elements of students' readiness to conduct professional activities have been identified: motivational-axiological, informational-cognitive, activity-oriented, personality-reflexive. The survey participants described the elements that they believed would most contribute to professional readiness: motivational-axiological (22% of participants), informational-cognitive (18.8% of participants), personality-reflexive (16.7% of participants) and activity-oriented (13.4%). The study can be useful for vocational education teachers to help them identify the in-fluence of students' personal characteristics on the successful development of their readiness for professional activities

Northern labyrinths: potential for interdisciplinary research and a resource for international tourism

The article presents the scientific rationale for the project of creating a geographic database on northern labyrinths ancient stone structures and petroglyphs located on the coasts and islands of Northern Europe. The aim of the project is to conduct interdisciplinary research of labyrinths-gnomons (tools for orientation in space and time according to the Sun) as a source of information about ancient marine communications, development of navigation technologies, as well as coastal changes in the Arctic region and climatic rhythms of our planet. The research algorithm includes standard methods of complex geographical descriptions; solution of the equation based on the main trigonometric function; analysis of stable relationships in the system “object - landscape - geographic space - Earth - Universe”. The relationship of the structure of labyrinths performing instrumental functions with the geographical latitude, as well as with the long-period rhythms of the planet, which are most clearly manifested in the Arctic region, is considered. The influence of navigation technologies on the physical development of geographic space and its modeling at the local (toponyms), regional (territorial systems and communications) and global levels (modern scientific picture of the world and ancient information models preserved in mythopoetic form) is shown. It is concluded that the creation of a regional geographic database on labyrinths will contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage sites, replenishment of the resources of international tourism in the Arctic region, the development of scientific communications uniting scientists from the northern countries

Paleoreconstruction of natural conditions as the basis for the rational use of natural resource management on the territory of the Neva Lowland

Modeling the evolution and dynamics of hydrological conditions of the Neva Lowland is of great theoretical and practical importance. The lowland is located in the Neva River basin, through which water from Europe’s largest Lake Ladoga flows. From the Mesolithic to the present day, the river has been a source of drinking water and biological resources and an important transportation route. The location of the river at a major crossroads of transcontinental routes connecting West and East, North and South Eurasia, determined the metropolitan functions of the territory and the development of the multi-million city of St. Petersburg. The city’s location on the Neva Lowland caused floods and gave rise to a number of environmental and geo-environmental problems. To optimize the use of natural resources, the cartographic models of the terrain are in great demand, on their basis it is possible to improve quantitative assessment and trends of waterlogging processes, submergence, risks of floods and disturbances in the water balance, exceeding the concentration of pollutants in water and bottom sediments. Reconstructions of hydrological conditions of the Neva Lowland in the Holocene are of interest for clarifying the evolution of natural and climatic conditions of the North-West Russian Plain. The aim of the article is to discuss the possibility of using GIS methods to study changes in hydrological conditions on the basis of actual data obtained so far in geography and archeology (geo-position and dating of objects of nature and material culture). The result of the work are maps that allow solving the problems of rational zoning of the territory, taking into account geological and environmental risks