Energy efficiency, low-carbon energy production, and economic growth in CIS countries

The paper studies the peculiarities of energy efficiency increase in national economy and decrease of carbon dioxide emission for CIS countries. The conditions that allow achieving parameters of sustainable development are determined according to indexes of GDP energy intensity and carbon intensity. Focusing on the indexes of GDP energy intensity and carbon intensity dynamics as well as on carbon intensity of energy production, a real movement towards implementation of program conditions presented by international organizations is analyzed, namely, economic conversion to the model of sustainable development. The examples demonstrate both the presence of significant differences between 12 countries and the lack of fatality in these differences. At determining dependencies linear models are preferred to non-linear ones, with the explanation of reasons in each particular case. Attention to success of these countries may help to understand the advantages of conversion to the model of sustainable development and also it helps to decrease demands in terms of costs for this conversion

Ocean Color Algorithm for the Retrieval of the Particle Size Distribution and Carbon-Based Phytoplankton Size Classes Using a Two-Component Coated-Spheres Backscattering Model

The particle size distribution (PSD) of suspended particles in near-surface seawater is a key property linking biogeochemical and ecosystem characteristics with optical properties that affect ocean color remote sensing. Phytoplankton size affects their physiological characteristics and ecosystem and biogeochemical roles, e.g. in the biological carbon pump, which has an important role in the global carbon cycle and thus climate. It is thus important to develop capabilities for measurement and predictive understanding of the structure and function of oceanic ecosystems, including the PSD, phytoplankton size classes (PSCs) and phytoplankton functional types (PFTs). Here, we present an ocean color satellite algorithm for the retrieval of the parameters of an assumed power-law PSD. The forward optical model considers two distinct particle populations (particle assemblage categories) &mdash; phytoplankton and non-algal particles (NAP). Phytoplankton are modeled as coated spheres following the Equivalent Algal Populations (EAP) framework, and NAP are modeled as homogeneous spheres. The forward model uses Mie and Aden-Kerker scattering computations, for homogeneous and coated spheres (for phytoplankton and NAP, respectively) to model the total particulate spectral backscattering coefficient as the sum of phytoplankton and NAP backscattering. The PSD retrieval is achieved via Spectral Angle Mapping (SAM) which uses backscattering end-members created by the forward model. The PSD is used to retrieve size-partitioned absolute and fractional phytoplankton carbon concentrations (i.e. carbon-based PSCs), as well as particulate organic carbon (POC), using allometric coefficients. The EAP-based formulation allows for the estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration via the retrieved PSD, as well as the estimation of the percent of backscattering due to NAP vs. phytoplankton. The PSD algorithm is operationally applied to the merged Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) v5.0 ocean color data set. Results of an initial validation effort are also presented, using PSD, POC, and pico-phytoplankton carbon in-situ measurements. Validation results indicate the need for an empirical tuning for the absolute phytoplankton carbon concentrations; however these results and comparison with other phytoplankton carbon algorithms are ambiguous as to the need for the tuning. The latter finding illustrates the continued need for high-quality, consistent, large global data sets of phytoplankton carbon and related variables to facilitate future algorithm improvements.</p

Intermixing-Driven Surface and Bulk Ferromagnetism in the Quantum Anomalous Hall Candidate MnBi6Te10

The recent realizations of the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) in MnBi2Te4 and MnBi4Te7 benchmark the (MnBi2Te4)(Bi2Te3)n family as a promising hotbed for further QAHE improvements. The family owes its potential to its ferromagnetically (FM) ordered MnBi2Te4 septuple layers (SLs). However, the QAHE realization is complicated in MnBi2Te4 and MnBi4Te7 due to the substantial antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling between the SLs. An FM state, advantageous for the QAHE, can be stabilized by interlacing the SLs with an increasing number n of Bi2Te3 quintuple layers (QLs). However, the mechanisms driving the FM state and the number of necessary QLs are not understood, and the surface magnetism remains obscure. Here, robust FM properties in MnBi6Te10 (n = 2) with Tc ≈ 12 K are demonstrated and their origin is established in the Mn/Bi intermixing phenomenon by a combined experimental and theoretical study. The measurements reveal a magnetically intact surface with a large magnetic moment, and with FM properties similar to the bulk. This investigation thus consolidates the MnBi6Te10 system as perspective for the QAHE at elevated temperatures

Da ‘Parasite’ alla pandemia. Come le città coreane possono aprire la via verso una urbanistica globale post-Covid

Nature does not negotiate, and COVID-19 proved it by triggering a real-time experiment on a self-confined civilization trying to cope with its effects over our most densely inhabited environments: cities. Just within weeks, South Korea shifted the world’s attention from its “Parasite” film’s satire on urban social inequality and modern isolation, to become one of the most virus-affected territories, ending up as a top reference on flattening the curve. Yet, Korean cities’ resiliency did not only rely on a trace, test and treat system, but on an emerging technology-based and human centered urbanism. This article aims to analyze the South Korean urban experiences which allowed them to overcome the current crisis and how this can guide the way for other cities in the post-COVID world.La natura non negozia, e la pandemia da Covid-19 lo ha dimostrato innescando un esperimento in tempo reale su una civiltà auto-confinata che cerca di reagire negli ambienti più densamente abitati: le città. In poche settimane, la Corea del Sud è riuscita a spostare l’attenzione del mondo dal suo film satirico “Parasite”, che tratta la disuguaglianza sociale nelle città e l’isolamento dell’uomo moderno, verso la sua capacità di rallentare la diffusione del virus, nonostante inizialmente fosse uno dei territori maggiormente colpiti. Tuttavia, la resilienza delle città coreane non si è basata solo su un sistema trace-test-treat (tracciamento-test-trattamento), ma su un’emergente visione urbanistica basata sulla tecnologia ed incentrata sull’uomo. Questo studio si propone di presentare le esperienze delle città sudcoreane che hanno permesso al paese di superare la crisi attuale e di analizzare come queste possano essere d’esempio per altre città nel mondo post-COVID

A new Andrews--Crandall-type identity and the number of integer solutions to x2+2y2+2z2=nx^2+2y^2+2z^2=n

Using a higher-dimensional analog of an identity known to Kronecker, we discover a new Andrews--Crandall-type identity and use it to count the number of integer solutions to $x^2+2y^2+2z^2=n$.Comment: 22 page

Technology of physical and coordination-technical improvement of firefighters and rescuers in training activities

The study defines pedagogical conditions that contribute to the growth of sports skills of men 19-23 years old, competing in fire and rescue sports. The conditions provide knowledge of the competitive activity laws implementation. The procedural and effective methods that solve the problems of developing physical and improving coordination and technical training of fire and rescue workers, introduce a differentiated approach to training athletes, taking into account the revealed competitive typology and predisposition to successful performance in certain applied disciplines of the sport. The model characteristics of athletes aged 19-23 years competitive activity are determined; individual and group typological features of sports performance in competitions are revealed and a differentiated approach to physical training of firefighters and rescuers is justified. The technology of combined physical and coordination-technical improvement of athletes aged 19-23 years in fire and rescue sports is developed based on the algorithm of training actions sequential change. The methodology of fire-rescue professional development is proved. There the leading party application process became sports and training activities with the use of firerescue sports. The method of training men-juniors 19-20 years old and young athletes 21-23 years old to participate in competitions in fire-rescue sports is developed. We used pedagogical experiment, pedagogical testing; instrumental methods; methods of mathematical statistics

Regional Algorithm of Quantitative Assessment of Cyanobacteria Blooms in the Eastern Part of the Gulf of Finland Using Satellite Ocean Color Data

Summer blooms of potentially harmful cyanobacteria are common in the Baltic Sea. Under clear sky conditions, the cyanobacterial blooms are easily detectable from space. We propose a new regional algorithm for cyanobacteria biomass estimation from satellite data in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, developed on the basis of field measurements in July–August 2012–2014. The multi-regression equation defines the cyanobacteria biomass as a function of the particle backscattering coefficient and chlorophyll concentration. The use of this equation provides the best performance in comparison to the linear one, which is reflected in both R2 and RMSE values (0.61 and 272 mg m−3 respectively). Unlike other algorithms, which determine only the cyanobacteria bloom area in the Baltic Sea, our algorithm allows the determination of both a bloom area and its intensity. Considering the algorithm errors, the bloom detection threshold has been shifted from the 200 mg m−3 determined by biologists to 300 mg m−3. Based on data from the MODIS-Aqua satellite ocean color scanner, the spatial and temporal variability of cyanobacterial blooms in this region from 2003 to 2022 was analyzed. Significant interannual variability of cyanobacteria biomass was revealed in the central part of the studied region, with minimum values in 2014 and maximum in 2004. The record bloom during the studied period occurred in July 2004 (the average cyanobacteria biomass was 780 mg m−3). The weakest blooms were observed in 2009, 2010, and 2014, when both in July and August, the bloom areas did not exceed 30% of the study region

CAMK2D De Novo Missense Variant in Patient with Syndromic Neurodevelopmental Disorder: A Case Report

Background: Intellectual disability with developmental delay is the most common developmental disorder. However, this diagnosis is rarely associated with congenital cardiomyopathy. In the current report, we present the case of a patient suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy and developmental delay. Methods: Neurological pathology in a newborn was diagnosed immediately after birth, and the acquisition of psychomotor skills lagged behind by 3–4 months during the first year of life. WES analysis of the proband did not reveal a causal variant, so the search was extended to trio. Results: Trio sequencing revealed a de novo missense variant in the CAMK2D gene (p.Arg275His), that is, according to the OMIM database and available literature, not currently associated with any specific inborn disease. The expression of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta (CaMKIIδ) protein is known to be increased in the heart tissues from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. The functional effect of the CaMKIIδ Arg275His mutant was recently reported; however, no specific mechanism of its pathogenicity was proposed. A structural analysis and comparison of available three-dimensional structures of CaMKIIδ confirmed the probable pathogenicity of the observed missense variant. Conclusions: We suggest that the CaMKIIδ Arg275His variant is highly likely the cause of dilated cardiomyopathy and neurodevelopmental disorders

A Knockout of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 in a Human Cell Line: An Influence on Base Excision Repair Reactions in Cellular Extracts

Base excision repair (BER) is the predominant pathway for the removal of most forms of hydrolytic, oxidative, and alkylative DNA lesions. The precise functioning of BER is achieved via the regulation of each step by regulatory/accessory proteins, with the most important of them being poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1). PARP1′s regulatory functions extend to many cellular processes including the regulation of mRNA stability and decay. PARP1 can therefore affect BER both at the level of BER proteins and at the level of their mRNAs. Systematic data on how the PARP1 content affects the activities of key BER proteins and the levels of their mRNAs in human cells are extremely limited. In this study, a CRISPR/Cas9-based technique was used to knock out the PARP1 gene in the human HEK 293FT line. The obtained cell clones with the putative PARP1 deletion were characterized by several approaches including PCR analysis of deletions in genomic DNA, Sanger sequencing of genomic DNA, quantitative PCR analysis of PARP1 mRNA, Western blot analysis of whole-cell-extract (WCE) proteins with anti-PARP1 antibodies, and PAR synthesis in WCEs. A quantitative PCR analysis of mRNAs coding for BER-related proteins—PARP2, uracil DNA glycosylase 2, apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1, DNA polymerase β, DNA ligase III, and XRCC1—did not reveal a notable influence of the PARP1 knockout. The corresponding WCE catalytic activities evaluated in parallel did not differ significantly between the mutant and parental cell lines. No noticeable effect of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis on the activity of the above WCE enzymes was revealed either