Bs0→Ds−a1+(Ds−→ϕπ−,Ds−→K∗0K−)B_s^0 \to D_s^-a_1^+(D_s^- \to \phi \pi^-, D_s^- \to K^{*0}K^-) decay channel in the ATLAS Bs0B_s^0-mixing studies

It is shown, using a track-level simulation, that the use of the $D_s^- \to K^{*0}K^-$ decay channel for $D_s^-$ reconstruction, in additioon with the previously studied $D_s^- \to \phi \pi^-$ mode, enables two fold gain in the ATLAS $B_s^0$-mixing signal statistics through $B_s^0 \to D_s^-a_1$ $B_s^0$-decay channel. A new modification of the amplitude fit method is suggested for the $x_s$ determination. Some general aspects of the $B_s^0$-mixing phenomenon is illustrated by pictures of Casimir Malevich, Maurits Cornelis Escher and Salvador Dali.Comment: 23 pages, LaTex, 7 figures and 4 picture

Electronic petitions in France on the material of Change.org, a non-governmental e-petition platform

The article presents the results of an empirical study on electronic petitions posted on the Change.org French-speaking segment, geographically linked to France. The relevance of the topic is due to the intervention of modern information and communication technologies in political reality and the need for scientific reflection of the consequences of digital changes in political processes. The authors of the article analyse the regional particularities of the online petition activity by the inhabitants of France on the material of 15 887 electronic petitions (January 2015 – October 2017), 570 of which are petitions with the status of “victory” (4 %). The authors note that the European territories of France form three main groups of online petition activity (with low, medium and high petition activity). Residents of France most often relate to social problems (social security, health care and education) in electronic petitions. In addition, Change.org is actively registering electronic petitions on issues related to crime and terrorism, discrimination, the environment, the economy and animal welfare. Electronic petitions about problems of culture, sports and problems of confessional relations are recorded relatively rarely. The greatest response from the recipients of the petition is caused by problems in the social sphere, education and health. The French society, through the prism of activity on the non-governmental Internet resource Change.org, appears as a modern society with post-industrial values, preoccupied with security issues, in an active and relatively productive dialogue with its political and business elite

About Using the Smart Analyzer when Engraving Decorative Panels

A smart analyzer can be used to improve the quality of wood engraving. Concept modeling done

ALGORITHM FOR SELECTING THE TYPE OF DISSIPATIVE FUNCTION BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF MAXIMUM ENTROPY PRODUCTION

The paper proposes an algorithm for obtaining the form of the dissipation function based on maximizing the values of elements from a certain bounded set of polynomials. The result obtained is consistent with the quadratic polynomial known from linear nonequilibrium ther-modynamics

ON THE INTERACTION OF INFORMATION PRODUCTS OF THE TENDER SPECIALIST AND HIS SUPERVISOR

The article describes a model of interaction between the participants of the dialogue between the tender specialists and its head

ALGORITHM OF CONTROLLING A SWARM ROBOTS

Today, the use of the swarm approach greatly simplifies the solution of problems in various fields of science. Due to the manifestation of the so-called synergistic effect, a significant increase in efficiency is achieved in comparison with the work of one robot. A control algorithm based on the neural network for the simulation system is proposed

TRAINING OF A DISTRIBUTED COLLECTIVE OF ROBOTS

Collectives of robots are actively gaining popularity today, as they surpass single robots in many respects. Now the process of training the team of robots is based on loading in each robot a pre-written program, which is very inefficient and resource-intensive. Another method is to use a neural network instead of a rigidly defined control algorithm, which allows you to train the robot using special algorithms. It is proposed to use a special system for training such collectives, the main principle of which is to iteratively simulate the behavior of logical robot abstractions in a virtual environment

Long-term archives reveal shifting extinction selectivity in China's postglacial mammal fauna

Ecosystems have been modified by human activities for millennia, and insights about ecology and extinction risk based only on recent data are likely to be both incomplete and biased. We synthesize multiple long-term archives (over 250 archaeological and palaeontological sites dating from the early Holocene to the Ming Dynasty and over 4400 historical records) to reconstruct the spatio-temporal dynamics of Holocene–modern range change across China, a megadiverse country experiencing extensive current-day biodiversity loss, for 34 mammal species over three successive postglacial time intervals. Our combined zooarchaeological, palaeontological, historical and current-day datasets reveal that both phylogenetic and spatial patterns of extinction selectivity have varied through time in China, probably in response both to cumulative anthropogenic impacts (an ‘extinction filter’ associated with vulnerable species and accessible landscapes being affected earlier by human activities) and also to quantitative and qualitative changes in regional pressures. China has experienced few postglacial global species-level mammal extinctions, and most species retain over 50% of their maximum estimated Holocene range despite millennia of increasing regional human pressures, suggesting that the potential still exists for successful species conservation and ecosystem restoration. Data from long-term archives also demonstrate that herbivores have experienced more historical extinctions in China, and carnivores have until recently displayed greater resilience. Accurate assessment of patterns of biodiversity loss and the likely predictive power of current-day correlates of faunal vulnerability and resilience is dependent upon novel perspectives provided by long-term archives

Comparative gustatory responses in four species of gerbilline rodents

Integrated taste responses to chemical stimulation of the tongue were recorded from the intact chorda tympani nerve in four species of gerbils ( Meriones libycus, M. shawi, M. unguiculatus and Psammomys obesus ).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47116/1/359_2004_Article_BF00618177.pd