Review of analytical instruments for EEG analysis

Since it was first used in 1926, EEG has been one of the most useful instruments of neuroscience. In order to start using EEG data we need not only EEG apparatus, but also some analytical tools and skills to understand what our data mean. This article describes several classical analytical tools and also new one which appeared only several years ago. We hope it will be useful for those researchers who have only started working in the field of cognitive EEG

The role of Project Management Office (PMO) in stimulating innovation in projects initiated by owner and operator organizations

This article explores the extent to which innovations are driven by the project management office (PMO), an internal unit within owner and operator organizations that is responsible for overall project assurance and control. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with organizational members of Transport for London (TfL), a public transport owner and operator organization and a key stakeholder in the UK infrastructure sector. This was combined with the analysis of four project assurance reviews initiated and delivered by TfL. The findings demonstrate that the PMO provides opportunities for building and enhancing innovative capabilities of the owner and operator organization

Prospects for the Ferronickel Production Development from the Urals Oxidized Nickel Ores

Methods of ore processing are divided into hydro- and pyrometallurgical. The latter method is more common. Ferronickel is seeing high demand at present. It is produced by reducing electric smelting of previously calcined ore. This method is typically used because of the composition and quality of the products obtained (there is a particularly large market for Ferronickel of the standard ISO 6501:1988, containing at least 15% Ni). Processing technologies for converting poor oxidized nickel ores into ferronickel offer significant advantages, reducing the environmental impact and energy consumption, and increase the recovery of valuable metals. This study considers the processing technology of serpentinite ores, which includes: ore preparation (averaging, crushing and screening, drying); roasting a mixture of dried ore and crushed dolomite (flux) in tubular rotary kilns; melting of hot cinder with the addition of a reducing agent in an ore-smelting direct-current electric furnace to produce a rough ferronickel; refining ferronickel from impurities of carbon, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, chromium was substantiated. During the industrial testing of electric smelting of calcined ores from the Ural deposits, ferronickel, containing (in wt. %) 8.9-15.5 Ni, 1.1 Cr, 0.17 Co, 0.1 S, 0.1 C was produced. Nickel extraction in ferronickel was 96.1 %, cobalt – 89.1 %. Keywords: ore, nickel, production, heating, roasting and reduction, phase transition

Strategic priorities for the development of middle regions in Russia

Relevance. The key factor in the development of any region is its geographical position in the socio-economic and geopolitical space of the country. In this respect, middle regions are of particular interest. Unfortunately, their unique qualities remain largely underexplored in research literature, which is the gap this article seeks to address.Research objective. The purpose of the study is to provide a definition of the concept ‘middle region’, describe its key characteristics and align them with the strategic priorities in the development of such regions.Data and methods. The research methodology centres around the notion of cumulative effect of the middle region and the tools for its assessment. This effect is associated with enhanced socio-economic efficiency of a territorial capital resulting from the advantages of its middle position. Among other things, this effect manifests itself through higher economic returns on investment. The empirical part of the study relies on the data on 36 Russian middle regions, their missions and priorities of strategic development.Results. The article summarizes the Russian and international theoretical approaches to the definition of the middle regions, their place and role in the territorial structure of a country and its socio-economic development. It is shown that most authors assign middle regions the role of the country’s epicenter, highlighting their key role in economy, culture, politics and other spheres of life. The approach proposed in this study focuses on middle regions’ position in space, on the one hand, and, on the other, sees them as systems of interactions in the socio-economic space. Based on this understanding of the middle region, several groups of Russian middle regions are identified: integrators, sustainable middle regions and developing middle regions.Conclusions. The mission of middle regions is one of the fundamental concepts of strategic management, comprising a hierarchy of goals. It is shown that although the mission of middle regions should be to become integrators of the country’s socio-economic space through the network of inter-territorial and global interactions, not all Russian middle regions are ready to pursue this ambitious goal and prefer to focus on addressing internal goals of their own