Landscape Agency and Evenki-Iakut Reindeer Husbandry Along the Zhuia River, Eastern Siberia

This article is dedicated to the memory of Vasilii Nikolaeich Maksimov who drowned with his son while crossing the Zhuia River in 2012. The field research and laboratory analysis for this article was sponsored mainly by a grant from the Research Council of Norway (NFR 179316) within the multinational research framework “BOREAS: Histories from the North” organized by the European Science Foundation EUROCORES programme. A portion of the laboratory work, and the time for writing an analysis was made possible by an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC AdG 295458). The research could not have been carried out without the in-kind support, equipment and expertise of the Irkutsk State Technological University and the logistical support of the mining enterprise ‘Svetlyi’ based in Bodaibo. We are grateful to Iurii Vasil’evich Zharkov of the goldmining company Vitim and his uncle Iurii Alekseevich Zharkov of Svetlyi Ltd for professionally and reliably arranging ground transport for us and our equipment to and from the banks of the Zhuia River. We are also grateful to Iurii Konstantinovich Polititsyn, a lifetime resident of Svetlyi, who gave advice on sites of previous Evenki occupation and whose family helped us to navigate the river and organise the fieldwork. For this article, DGA was the principal investigator of the two grants, participated in most of the fieldwork, and composed this English text consulting Russian-language drafts prepared by EMI and OPV. EMI organized the fieldwork, conducted the trench digging, and prepared preliminary versions of the maps. OPV participated in the fieldwork, collected botanical samples, and participated in the interpretation of the pollen diagrams. ML participated in the fieldwork and conducted the phosphate analysis. The arduous work of identifying and counting the pollen grains, fungal spores and charcoal fragments was done by NVK in her laboratory in Irkutsk. We are indebted to our colleagues Drs. Ed Schofield and Dmitryi Mauquoy of the School of Geosciences at the University of Aberdeen for drafting the pollen diagrams and constructing the age-depth model and to Paul Ledger and Ilse Kamerling, also of the University of Aberdeen, for helping draft the final versions of the maps and figures.Peer reviewedPostprin

Thermoelectric bolometers based on ultra-thin heavily doped single-crystal silicon membranes

We present ultra-thin silicon membrane thermocouple bolometers suitable for fast and sensitive detection of low levels of thermal power and infrared radiation at room temperature. The devices are based on 40 nm-thick strain tuned single crystalline silicon membranes shaped into heater/absorber area and narrow n- and p-doped beams, which operate as the thermocouple. The electro-thermal characterization of the devices reveal noise equivalent power of 13 pW/rtHz and thermal time constant of 2.5 ms. The high sensitivity of the devices is due to the high Seebeck coefficient of 0.39 mV/K and reduction of thermal conductivity of the Si beams from the bulk value. The bolometers operate in the Johnson-Nyquist noise limit of the thermocouple, and the performance improvement towards the operation close to the temperature fluctuation limit is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Exploring the social interest in agritourism among the urban population of Kazakhstan

The article examines the issues surrounding tourist activity and social interest in agritourism among residents of the main cities in Kazakhstan. Based on the survey results among a group of n = 577 respondents, the article inspected the extent of their participation in rural tourism, including agritourism, as well as their preferences and expectations regarding the type and extent of services offered on tourist farms. Research results show that the interest of city residents in using agritourism farm services is limited despite of a generally positive attitude towards rural tourism. Potential tourists’ expectations of agritourism farm services focus primarily on the quality of accommodations and the sanitary conditions present in the facilities providing them. Domestic tourists especially expect to be able to take advantage of natural products with medicinal and cosmetic properties. They view active forms of leisure as a mere supplement. The respondents’ opinions and assessments can determine the ways agritourism farms adapt to this clientele as well as impact organisational decisions and strategic planning of rural tourism in the country

Effect of Plasma Treatment on Corrosion Layers of Bronze

Plasma chemical process for conservation of metallic objects is a relatively new way of effective and fast treatment of corroded objects. Removal of corrosion products is based on plasma chemical reduction of corrosion layers by radio-frequency (RF) low pressure hydrogen plasma. Model corrosion layers on bronze were studied. SEM/EDX analyses on corroded and treated samples were performed

Comment on "A proteomic surrogate for cardiovascular outcomes that is sensitive to multiple mechanisms of change in risk"

A 27-protein signature has been proposed to predict cardiovascular disease, but its applicability in clinical decision-making remains unclear

Ankylosis of the cervical spine increases the incidence of blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) in CTA screening after blunt trauma

Purpose To examine the incidence, location, and grade of blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI), as well as associated strokes in patients with ankylosis of the cervical spine, imaged with CT angiography (CTA) after blunt trauma. The related etiologies of ankylosis had an additional focus. Materials and methods Altogether of 5867 CTAs of the craniocervical arteries imaged after blunt trauma between October 2011 and March 2020 were manually reviewed for a threshold value of ankylosis of at least three consecutive cervical vertebrae. BCVI was the primary outcome and associated stroke as the secondary outcome. Variables were craniofacial and cervical spine fractures, etiology and levels of ankylosis, traumatic brain injury, spinal hematoma, spinal cord injury, and spinal cord impingement, for which correlations with BCVI were examined. Results Of the 153 patients with ankylosis and blunt trauma of the cervical spine, 29 had a total of 36 BCVIs, of whom two had anterior and 4 posterior circulation strokes. Most of the BCVIs (n = 32) were in the vertebral arteries. Injuries were graded according to the Biffl scale: 17 grade II, 4 grade III, 14 grade IV, and 1 grade V. A ground-level fall was the most common trauma mechanism. Cervical spine fracture was the only statistically significant predictor for BCVI (OR 7.44). Degenerative spondylosis was the most prevalent etiology for ankylosis. Conclusion Ankylosis of the cervical spine increases the incidence of BCVI up to sevenfold compared to general blunt trauma populations, affecting especially the vertebral arteries.Peer reviewe