Caesar on Decision Making in the Conditions of the Civil War

Introduction. This article investigates the situations of decision making described in Caesar’s “Commentaries on the Civil War”. Methods and materials. The information about decisions of Caesar, Pompey and their supporters is investigated by the comparative method. Analysis. According to Caesar, the commander’s decisions must be independent, rational, and directed to the common good. If the making peace by way of the parley is impossible, the victories with minimal casualties for both battling armies are this good. Caesar shows, that his own decisions corresponded always to this demands unlike Pompey, who was guided by his emotions and the opinions of others. Caesar criticizes slightly and justifies decisions of Curio who was his supporter. In his work, Pompey’s commanders arrive at the decisions in their interests hastily and are ready to abandon their troops for take flight. Curio’s decisions were also ill-advised and hasty, but, unlike Pompey’s commanders, he preferred death in battle to the disgraceful flight. The decisions of the military council and the soldiers of Pompey’s army are in Caesar’s work more rational, than the decisions of their commanders, and are directed to making peace as soon as possible. Results. The descriptions of the situations of decision making in Caesar’s “Commentaries on the Civil War” are not numerous, but they execute an important propagandistic function. Caesar does not criticize his adversaries, but he shows to the readers, that Pompey and his commanders with their ill-advised, egoistic, wrong and hasty decisions were guilty of the unleashing this civil war, its duration and the numerous victims

Formalized classification of semi-dry grasslands in central and eastern Europe

European semi-dry grasslands are among the most species-rich vegetation types in the northern hemisphere and form an important part of the habitat mosaics in the forest-steppe zone. However. there is no comprehensive evaluation of the variation in their composition and the phytosocio-logical classification of these grasslands. For the syntaxonomic revision, we used a dataset of 34,173 vegetation plot records (releves) from central and eastern Europe. which were assigned to the class Fesiuco-Bromeiea using the diagnostic species listed in the EuroVegChecklist. To determine the diagnostic species of the orders, we used a TWINSPAN classification of the whole dataset. Of the total dataset, 15,449 releves were assigned to the order Brachypodietalia pinnati. which corresponds to semi-dry grasslands. This subset was again classified using TWINSPAN. Formal definitions of the following alliances were established: Mesobromion erecti, Cirsio-Brachypodion pinnati (incl. Fragario-Trifolion montani. Agrosiio-Avenulion schellianae, Scabioso ochroleucae-Poion angustifoliae and Adonido vernalis-Stipion iirsae), Scorzonerion villosae and Chrysopogono-Danshonion. Another alliance, Armerion elongatae (=Koelerio-Phleion phleoidis p.p.). is transitional towards the class Koelerio-Corynephoreiea and its status needs further evaluation. We also established formal definitions of all of the associations of Mesobromion and Cirsio-Brachypodion within the area studied. Associations were identified using (i) a TWINSPAN classification of the whole order, (ii) TWINSPAN classifications of regionally restricted data sets (usually all Brachypodietalia plots in one country) and (iii) existing national classification schemes. All formal definitions were written in the expert system language of the JUICE program. To obtain a more complete picture of the floristic similarities and gradients. we performed a DCA ordination of the associations. Our results revealed that meadow steppes in the forest-steppe zone in eastern Europe are very similar to semi-dry grasslands in central Europe

Characterization of Zoobenthos and Export of Biomass and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids due to Emergence of Midges (Diptera, Chironomidae) from Three Saline Lakes of South Siberia

В течение двух вегетационных сезонов определяли таксономический состав, численность, биомассу зообентоса трех соленых озер: Шира, Шунет и Учум, расположенных в аридных степях Южной Сибири. Мы также оценили продукцию, потенциальный экспорт биомассы и физиологически ценных омега‑3 полиненасыщенных жирных кислот (ПНЖК) на сушу при вылете комаров-звонцов (Diptera, Chironomidae). Зообентосные сообщества изученных водоемов характеризовались низким таксономическим разнообразием и были представлены в основном личинками насекомых сем. Chironomidae и Ceratopogonidae, а также рачками Gammarus lacustris в озерах Шира и Шунет. В целом таксономический состав, численность и продуктивность изученных сообществ амфибионтных насекомых существенно различались. В оз. Шира доминантами являлись личинки Polypedilum bicrenatum, Сhironomus nigrifrons и Glyptotendipes salinus. В оз. Шунет основную часть численности сообщества обеспечивали личинки рода Procladius и Chironomus salinarius, наряду с P. bicrenatum. Бентос оз. Учум был представлен личинками рода Procladius, подсем. Orthocladiinae и сем. Ceratopogonidae. Продукция хирономид озер Шира, Шунет и Учум за период 30 дней составила в среднем 16,1 ± 4,1, 45,6 ± 13,6 и 9,6 ± 4,6 г сырой массы / м2, соответственно, увеличиваясь с ростом индекса Е. В. Балушкиной, оценивающего степень загрязненности воды. Потенциальный экспорт биомассы имаго хирономид из озер колебался от 0,6 до 3,1 г сырой массы / м2 акватории в год. Величина продуктивности и экспорта биомассы на сушу, вероятно, определялась количеством пищи (органического вещества) в донных отложениях. Имаго Glyptotendipes, вылетающие из озер Шунет и Шира, и имаго Orthocladiinae, роившиеся близ озера Учум, имели близкие величины содержания ПНЖК на единицу сырой массы. Таким образом, продуктивность, а не таксономический состав хирономидного сообщества, может быть более важным фактором при экспорте ПНЖК из соленых озерDuring two growing seasons, we studied the biomass, the number, and the species composition of zoobenthos in three saline lakes, Shira, Shunet, and Uchum, located in arid steppe of South Siberia, Russia. We also estimated productivity and export of biomass and physiologically significant omega‑3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) associated with the emergence of amphibiotic insects from these lakes. All zoobenthic communities had low taxonomic diversity with insect larvae of Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae families and amphipod Gammarus lacustris constituting their major portion. Overall taxonomic composition and productivity of the lakes differed considerably. Among amphibiotic insects, larvae of Polypedilum bicrenatum, Сhironomus nigrifrons, and Glyptotendipes salinus were the most abundant in Lake Shira. In Lake Shunet, in addition to the dominant P. bicrenatum, zoobenthos was mainly represented by larvae of Chironomus salinarius and two Procladius species. Benthos of Lake Uchum was distinctly dominated by the Procladius genus, Orthocladiinae subfamily, and Ceratopogonidae family larvae. Production of chironomids in Shira, Shunet, and Uchum was 16.1 ± 4.1, 45.6 ± 13.6, and 9.6±4.6 g wet weight / m2 for 30 days, respectively, increasing with an increase in E. V. Balushkina’s index, which estimates water quality. Potential export of chironomid biomass ranged from 0.6 to 3.1 g wet weight / m2 of aquatic area per year. We suggested that productivity and biomass export were related with the quantity of food (organic matter) in the sediments. Glyptotendipes adults, which emerged from Lakes Shunet and Shira, and Orthocladiinae adults, which emerged from Lake Uchum, had similar contents of omega‑3 PUFAs per unit of wet weight. Thus, productivity rather than taxonomic composition of chironomid communities might be a more important factor for export of PUFAs from saline lake

EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats

Aim: The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation‐plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation‐plot database, and compile statistically‐derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location: Europe. Methods: We developed the classification expert system EUNIS‐ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each habitat was formally defined as a formula in a computer language combining algebraic and set‐theoretic concepts with formal logical operators. We applied this expert system to classify 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and other databases. Then we determined diagnostic, constant and dominant species for each habitat by calculating species‐to‐habitat fidelity and constancy (occurrence frequency) in the classified data set. Finally, we mapped the plot locations for each habitat. Results: Formal definitions were developed for 199 habitats at Level 3 of the EUNIS hierarchy, including 25 coastal, 18 wetland, 55 grassland, 43 shrubland, 46 forest and 12 man‐made habitats. The expert system classified 1,125,121 vegetation plots to these habitat groups and 73,188 to other habitats, while 63,064 plots remained unclassified or were classified to more than one habitat. Data on each habitat were summarized in factsheets containing habitat description, distribution map, corresponding syntaxa and characteristic species combination. Conclusions: EUNIS habitats were characterized for the first time in terms of their species composition and distribution, based on a classification of a European database of vegetation plots using the newly developed electronic expert system EUNIS‐ESy. The data provided and the expert system have considerable potential for future use in European nature conservation planning, monitoring and assessment

Fear and anger as companions of love in Propertius’ poetry

Love in Propertius’ elegies is connected with fear (timor, metus) and anger (ira). The descriptions of these emotions allow the Roman poet to display the specific character of love, its influence on mind and behaviour. According to Propertius the expressions of fear and anger directed at a person, who wants to destroy love, testify the value of love, and an aspiration to keep it. The fears in elegies disclose love as a complicated feeling, while anger directed at the beloved person reveals the power of love passion

Application prospects of distance learning technologies in the system of additional vocational education

In modern times the educational institutions of additional vocational education have to take into account mainly conflicting factors. On the one hand, these are the demands of employers to the quality of the educational process, on the other – the need to cut costs on employee training. This article states the basic features of use of distance technologies that allow to optimize training costs and to solve the problem of development of practical skills of listeners. The demand structure for programs of additional vocational education is presented on the example of several business schools. Besides the application topicality of remote educational technologies to support the learning process on-the-job is substantiated

Quality of education as a requirement of modern society

The aim of the work is to study the compliance of the quality of education in Russia with the requirements determined by the needs of the Russian society. The article reveals the genesis of such categories as" quality of education "and"quality of products and services". The features of educational services as a public good in the forms of market relations are revealed. The structure and role of various consumers of educational services are defined separately, and a classification of the needs and requirements of consumers to the quality of education is proposed. In the course of the research, such methods as analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, and statistical methods for studying the economic situation were used. The empirical base of the research is scientific works of Russian and foreign authors on the problems of education quality, National standards of the Russian Federation and International standards in the field of quality, the Federal law "on education in the Russian Federation", Federal state educational standards of the Russian Federation, official data of the Federal Treasury and the Federal state statistics service of the Russian Federation

The Roman Society in I Century B.C.: Civil Consciousness and Behavior

В автореферате рассматривается гражданское сознание и поведение римлян I в. до н.э. Факт признания теснейшей взаимосвязи и взаимозависимости социального бытия и общественного сознания обусловливает для глубокого понимания истории человечества необходимость изучения эволюции сознания

Evaluation and comparison of the genetic structure of Bunias orientalis populations in their native range and two non-native ranges

We studied the invasive warty cabbage Bunias orientalis (Brassicaceae) in three geographically distinct areas. Using inter-simple sequence repeat fingerprinting, we analyzed warty cabbages, including non-native populations, from the eastern Baltic and western Siberian regions and native populations from southwestern Russia. The eastern Baltic region and western Siberia represent the two opposite directions of B. orientalis spread in climatically different zones. The genetic structures of the native and non-native B. orientalis populations were assessed through analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and the Bayesian clustering method and by determining the main measures of genetic diversity. AMOVA revealed considerable population differentiation in both the native and invasive ranges. Our results did not indicate a decrease in genetic diversity in the non-native populations of B. orientalis. Similar measures of genetic diversity and genetic structure were determined in the invasive populations in two geographically and ecologically distinct, non-native regions located in Europe and Asia. In both of these regions, higher genetic diversity was detected in the non-native populations than in the native region populations, which may be due to multiple introductions. However, Bayesian clustering analysis revealed slightly different sources of invasive populations in the two non-native regions. Genetic diversity patterns revealed the lack of isolation by distance between populations and confirmed the influence of anthropogenic factors on the spread of B. orientalis. The significance of native populations as germplasm resources for breeding is discussed

Genetic variability of bunias orientalis within its native and introduced ranges

Warty cabbage (Bunias orientalis) (Brassicaceae) is widely spread across Europe (except the southern part), western Asia, Siberia, Russian Far East, and North America. In some parts of central and northern Europe, this species is considered an invasive species where it penetrates in seminatural ecosystem