Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding 'Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil‑based scientific data': Myanmar amber

Recently, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) has sent around a letter, dated 21st April, 2020 to more than 300 palaeontological journals, signed by the President, Vice President and a former President of the society (Rayfield et al. 2020). The signatories of this letter request significant changes to the common practices in palaeontology. With our present, multi-authored comment, we aim to argue why these suggestions will not lead to improvement of both practice and ethics of palaeontological research but, conversely, hamper its further development. Although we disagree with most contents of the SVP letter, we appreciate this initiative to discuss scientific practices and the underlying ethics. Here, we consider different aspects of the suggestions by Rayfield et al. (2020) in which we see weaknesses and dangers. It is our intent to compile views from many different fields of palaeontology, as our discipline is (and should remain) pluralistic. This contribution deals with the aspects concerning Myanmar amber. Reference is made to Haug et al. (2020a) for another comment on aspects concerning amateur palaeontologists/citizen scientists/private collectors

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding “Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil‑based scientific data”: Myanmar amber

Non peer reviewe

On-Site Predominant Method of Observer Status in the Echo-Signals Parametric Space

В статье предложен общий метод на основе текущей информации режима сопровождения и признаков маневрирования целей, позволяющий оценить обстановку, вскрыть подготовку и готовность перехватчиков противника к пуску ракет в дальнем воздушном бою. Показана актуальность дальнейшей реализации дополнительных алгоритмов поддержки принятия решений летчика на оборонительные и наступательные действия (выбор режимов работы БРЛС) в информационно-управляющих системах модернизируемых и перспективных истребителей для занятия преимущественного положения наблюдателя в параметрическом пространстве принимаемых эхо-сигналов и последующей эффективной атакиThe article suggests the total method based on current information on the maintenance mode and signs of maneuvering targets, allowing to assess the situation, open training and the willingness of the enemy to launch interceptor missiles into far dogfight. Shows the relevance of the further implementation of the method is based upon the development of additional algorithms of decision-making support pilot on the defensive and offensive actions (selecting RADAR modes) in information-management systems for retrofit and advanced fighter jets to engage in preemptive provisions of observer in parametric space taken by ECHO-signals and subsequent effective attac

Using the visual differences predictor to improve performance of progressive global illumination computation

A novel view-independent technique for progressive global illumination computing that uses prediction of visible differences to improve both efficiency and effectiveness of physicallysound lighting solutions has been developed. The technique is a mixture of stochastic (density estimation) and deterministic (adaptive mesh refinement) algorithms used in a sequence and optimized to reduce the differences between the intermediate and final images as perceived by the human observer in the course of lighting computation. The quantitative measurements of visibility were obtained using the model of human vision captured in the visible differences predictor (VDP) developed by Daly [1993]. The VDP responses were used to support the selection of the best component algorithms from a pool of global illumination solutions, and to enhance the selected algorithms for even better progressive refinement of image quality. The VDP was also used to determine the optimal sequential order of component-algorithm execution, and to choose the points at which switchover between algorithms should take place. As the VDP is computationally expensive, it was applied exclusively at the design and tuning stage of the composite technique, and so perceptual considerations are embedded into the resulting solution, though no VDP calculations were performed during lighting simulation

On-Site Predominant Method of Observer Status in the Echo-Signals Parametric Space

В статье предложен общий метод на основе текущей информации режима сопровождения и признаков маневрирования целей, позволяющий оценить обстановку, вскрыть подготовку и готовность перехватчиков противника к пуску ракет в дальнем воздушном бою. Показана актуальность дальнейшей реализации дополнительных алгоритмов поддержки принятия решений летчика на оборонительные и наступательные действия (выбор режимов работы БРЛС) в информационно-управляющих системах модернизируемых и перспективных истребителей для занятия преимущественного положения наблюдателя в параметрическом пространстве принимаемых эхо-сигналов и последующей эффективной атакиThe article suggests the total method based on current information on the maintenance mode and signs of maneuvering targets, allowing to assess the situation, open training and the willingness of the enemy to launch interceptor missiles into far dogfight. Shows the relevance of the further implementation of the method is based upon the development of additional algorithms of decision-making support pilot on the defensive and offensive actions (selecting RADAR modes) in information-management systems for retrofit and advanced fighter jets to engage in preemptive provisions of observer in parametric space taken by ECHO-signals and subsequent effective attac

Effect of Sc, Hf, and Yb Additions on Superplasticity of a Fine-Grained Al-0.4%Zr Alloy

This research was undertaken to study the way deformation behaves in ultrafine-grained (UFG)-conducting Al-Zr alloys doped with Sc, Hf, and Yb. All in all, eight alloys were studied with zirconium partially replaced by Sc, Hf, and/or Yb. Doping elements (X = Zr, Sc, Hf, Yb) in the alloys totaled 0.4 wt.%. The choice of doping elements was conditioned by the possible precipitation of Al3X particles with L12 structure in the course of annealing these alloys. Such particles provide higher thermal stability of a nonequilibrium UFG microstructure. Initial coarse-grained samples were obtained by induction casting. A UFG microstructure in the alloys was formed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) at 225 °C. Superplasticity tests were carried out at temperatures ranging from 300 to 500 °C and strain rates varying between 3.3 × 10−4 and 3.3 × 10−1 s−1. The highest values of elongation to failure are observed in Sc-doped alloys. A UFG Al-0.2%Zr-0.1%Sc-0.1%Hf alloy has maximum ductility: at 450 °C and a strain rate of 3.3 × 10−3 s−1, relative elongation to failure reaches 765%. At the onset of superplasticity, stress (σ)–strain (ε) curves are characterized by a stage of homogeneous (uniform) strain and a long stage of localized plastic flow. The dependence of homogeneous (uniform) strain (εeq) on test temperature in UFG Sc-doped alloys is increasing uniformly, which is not the case for other UFG alloys, with εeq(T) dependence peaking at 350–400 °C. The strain rate sensitivity coefficient of flow stress m is small and does not exceed 0.26–0.3 at 400–500 °C. In UFG alloys containing no Sc, the m coefficient is observed to go down to 0.12–0.18 at 500 °C. It has been suggested that lower m values are driven by intensive grain growth and pore formation in large Al3X particles, which develop specifically at an ingot crystallization stage

Development of Mass Spectrometry Selected Reaction Monitoring Method for Quantitation and Pharmacokinetic Study of Stepharine in Rabbit Plasma

Highly sensitive liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method on triple quadrupole (QQQ) mass spectrometer was successfully applied for pharmacokinetic study of stepharine in rabbit plasma. Specific ion transitions of stepharine protonated precursor ion were selected and recorded in the certain retention time employing dynamic selected reaction monitoring mode. The developed method facilitated quantitative measurements of stepharine in plasma samples in linear range of five orders of magnitude with high accuracy and low standard deviation coefficient and pharmacokinetics parameters were calculated. The apparent volume of stepharine distribution (estimated as ratio of clearance to elimination rate constant, data not shown) allows us to assume that stepharine was extensively distributed throughout the body

Current Approaches in Supersecondary Structures Investigation

Proteins expressed during the cell cycle determine cell function, topology, and responses to environmental influences. The development and improvement of experimental methods in the field of structural biology provide valuable information about the structure and functions of individual proteins. This work is devoted to the study of supersecondary structures of proteins and determination of their structural motifs, description of experimental methods for their detection, databases, and repositories for storage, as well as methods of molecular dynamics research. The interest in the study of supersecondary structures in proteins is due to their autonomous stability outside the protein globule, which makes it possible to study folding processes, conformational changes in protein isoforms, and aberrant proteins with high productivity