Sustainability assessment and education for sustainability in the Russian Federation on the example of Tambov region

Over the past few decades economic growth has come at the expenses of the environments and the topic of sustainable development is becoming more important. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The main aim of this dissertation was to investigate the available methodologies of sustainability assessment and to test which of them could be suitable for Russian conditions. Russia is an interesting subject for research as, it has its own history of sustainability science, but quite often the commitment to sustainable development is only in rhetoric and there are some problems with the interpretation of the concept of sustainable development. For example, in Russian official documents the term sustainability is used as a synonym for stable economic growth. The focus of the research was a creation of an indicator system for a regional sustainability assessment on the example of Tambov region of the Russian Federation. At the first stage of the research a regional assessment was performed with the help of the United Nations set of sustainable development indicators, SWOT analysis was performed to identify the main strengths and problems in the region. Also, the availability of statistical data and relevancy for the research region of the indicators was checked. During the next stage of the research a composite indicator was created using different techniques for normalization of indicator and weighting. Then robustness and sensitivity analysis of created indicators was performed, the results were visualised, and composite indicators were decomposed to explain the drivers of the aggregated results. The result of this work has shown that composite indicators together with regional assessment on the base of sustainability indicators are the tools that could support policymakers in sustainability decision-making. There are some problems with the availability of the statistical data in Russia, and there is no monitoring mechanism at the federal district level and lack of coordination with work of statistical agencies. This research is confirming a necessity of further research, and a need to develop a monitoring and assessment system in Russian Federation. The second part of the research was devoted to education for sustainable development. UNESCO is stressing that the approach of Education for Sustainable Development empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations, and therefore education is playing a crucial role in reaching sustainability (UNESCO, 2017). The aim of this research was to see how the sustainability topics are integrated into the curriculum of the agricultural universities, to define the sources of integration and research possible problems and formulate the recommendations for strengthening the integration. To research the education for sustainable development in Russia first a literature review was conducted, followed by 16 semi-structured interviews with the representatives of 8 universities. The research confirmed the fact that sustainability is present as a topic in the official documents, for example educational standard, but this mention remains only rhetorical and does not provide the background for the establishment of a framework for integration of sustainability concept. As a result, the integration into education is mostly driven by the personal initiative of the teaching staff. There is a clear demand for an integration framework of sustainability topics in the federal state educational standard. The main problems are uncoordination and competition between departments and ministries, overload of teachers, lack of best-practices, absence of system in the education and limited financing. These problems could be mitigated with creation of interdepartmental centres, creation of interdisciplinary working groups, creation of a systematic concept of education for sustainability and involvement of different stakeholders into educational projects, but the success of these measures depends on the general approach and if the importance of sustainability will be present only in official documents, then there will be no shift in integration, and everything will depend only on individual initiative of teachers.In den letzten Jahrzehnten ging das Wirtschaftswachstum zu Lasten der Umwelt und das Thema der Nachhaltigkeit wird immer wichtiger. Nachhaltige Entwicklung ist eine Entwicklung, die die Bedürfnisse der Gegenwart befriedigt, ohne zu riskieren, dass künftige Generationen ihre Bedürfnisse nicht mehr befriedigen können. Das Hauptziel dieser Dissertation ist es, die verfügbaren Methoden der Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung zu erforschen und zu prüfen, welche davon für die russischen Verhältnisse geeignet sein könnten. Russland ist ein interessantes Forschungsthema. Es hat zwar eine eigene Geschichte der Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaft jedoch ist das Engagement für nachhaltige Entwicklung nur in der Rhetorik vorhanden und es gibt einige Probleme mit der Interpretation des Konzeptes der nachhaltigen Entwicklung. In offiziellen russischen Dokumenten wird der Begriff Nachhaltigkeit beispielsweise als Synonym für stabiles Wirtschaftswachstum verwendet. Im Zentrum der Forschung stand die Entwicklung eines Indikatorensystems für eine regionale Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung am Beispiel der Region Tambov der Russischen Föderation. In der ersten Phase der Forschung wurde eine regionale Bewertung mit Hilfe des Indikatorensatzes der Vereinten Nationen für nachhaltige Entwicklung durchgeführt. Darüber hinaus wurde eine SWOT-Analyse durchgeführt, um die Stärken und Probleme der Region zu identifizieren. Außerdem wurde die Verfügbarkeit von statistischen Daten und die Relevanz der Indikatoren für die Untersuchungsregion geprüft. In der nächsten Phase der Forschung wurde ein zusammengesetzter Indikator erstellt, wobei verschiedene Techniken zur Normalisierung der und zur Gewichtung verwendet wurden. Anschließend wurden Robustheits- und Sensitivitätsanalysen der erstellten Indikatoren durchgeführt, die Ergebnisse visualisiert und zusammengesetzte Indikatoren zerlegt, um die Treiber der aggregierten Ergebnisse zu erklären. Das Ergebnis dieser Arbeit zeigt, dass zusammengesetzte Indikatoren vereint mit einer regionalen Bewertung auf der Grundlage von Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren die Instrumente sind, die politische Entscheidungsträger bei der Entscheidungsfindung im Bereich der Nachhaltigkeit unterstützen können. Es gibt einige Probleme mit der Verfügbarkeit der statistischen Daten in Russland, keinen Überwachungsmechanismus auf der Ebene der föderalen Bezirke und einen Mangel an Koordination mit der Arbeit der statistischen Ämter. Im Ergebnis bestätigt es die Notwendigkeit weiterer Forschung und das Erfordernis, ein Überwachungs- und Bewertungssystem in der Russischen Föderation zu entwickeln. Der zweite Teil der Forschung widmet sich der Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung. Die UNESCO betont, dass der Ansatz der Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung die Lernenden dazu befähigt, fundierte Entscheidungen zu treffen und verantwortungsbewusst zu handeln, um die Integrität der Umwelt, die wirtschaftliche Tragfähigkeit und eine gerechte Gesellschaft für heutige und künftige Generationen zu gewährleisten. Die Bildung spielt daher eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Verwirklichung der Nachhaltigkeit (UNESCO, 2017). Die Integration der Nachhaltigkeitsthemen in die Lehrpläne der landwirtschaftlichen Hochschulen, die Definition von Integrationsquellen, die Erforschung möglicher Probleme und die Formulierung von Empfehlungen zur Stärkung der Integration ist Ziel dieser Forschung. Zur Erforschung der Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung in Russland wurde zunächst eine Literaturrecherche durchgeführt, gefolgt von 16 halbstrukturierten Interviews mit Vertretern von 8 Universitäten. Die Analyse bestätigte die Tatsache, dass das Thema Nachhaltigkeit zwar in den offiziellen Dokumenten, z. B. den Bildungsstandards, enthalten ist, die Erwähnung jedoch keinen Rahmen für die Integration des Nachhaltigkeitskonzepts vorgibt und die Integration in die Bildung meist durch die Eigeninitiative der Lehrenden vorangetrieben wird. Es besteht daher ein klarer Bedarf an einem Integrationsrahmen von Nachhaltigkeitsthemen im Landesbildungsstandard. Die Hauptprobleme sind mangelnde Koordination und Konkurrenz zwischen Abteilungen und Ministerien, Überlastung der Lehrkräfte, Fehlen von Best-Practice-Beispielen, ein mangelhaftes Bildungssystem und begrenzte Finanzierung

Effects of shape factor on the behaviour of elastomeric roadway bridge bearings and benefits of circular bearing cross section

Elastomeric bearings can support steel and concrete bridge girders. Layered bearings with steel plates are typical and they provide the lateral flexibility to accommodate longitudinal girder movement and the necessary vertical stiffness to vertical support reactions.  Elastomeric bearings also replace existing roadway bridge girder supports. Mechanical behaviour of elastomeric bearings strongly relates to the incompressible character of the elastomer material. Incompressible character of elastomers, allows elastomer-bearing design through confining unbound surfaces and limiting surface deformations.  A particular character of elastomeric bearings known as the shape factor (S) represents the difference in stiffness of two elastomeric bearings that have same cross sectional areas but different cross sectional shapes. Through an advanced finite element-modeling program, this study evaluates and compares the behaviours of rectangular and circular steel layered elastomeric bridge bearings under the application of vertical and lateral loads

Resolution of torsional effects in prestressed girders of railway viaducts through use of diaphragms or proper section design

Need for elevated railways may arise when capacity of bus transit and light rail transit that share the right of way with roadways becomes insufficient and the cost of railways with dedicated right of ways such as underground railways becomes costly.   A similar need arose in the city of Makah and in 2010 an 18-km long; elevated railway transit service began servicing between the districts of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. Today the two-track elevated system serves along the route constructed by posttensioned 25-m long U-sections spanning between piers. This paper presents the analytical studies and the finite element model of an alternative 30-m long pretensioned boxed-section evaluated during the tender stage. Following a comparison with the applied choice, benefits of the U-section with respect to the analyzed alternative will be discussed

Use of geosynthetics to reduce the required right-of-way for roadways and railways

Roadway and railway routes require a right-of-way (ROW) to provide the necessary width for the required travelled way, drainage and earthwork. Correct understanding of ROW along a route is necessary in order to establish a correct width for the intended transportation corridor. Availability of land becomes scarce and cost of land increases in urban zones. Therefore, the costs of establishing a ROW in rural areas and in urban areas are not the same. Earthworks are an important component of route establishment. The required excavations and fills necessitate the use of proper side slopes for the stability of the excavation or the fill. These side slopes directly relate to the mechanical properties of the soil and the depth of the earthwork. This study provides a quantitative and a qualitative understanding of the ROW requirements of roadways and railways and the influence of the earthworks on the determined values of the ROW. The study further investigates the benefits of using geogrids to reduce the necessary ROW for a transportation route through finite element analysis

An insight into design of prefabricated and prestressed concrete monoblock railway ties for service loads

Ballasted railway track ties support the wheel forces of a train that are transferred by the rails, maintain the track gauge and provide track stability.  Prestressed concrete ties provide the required track bearing to the applied wheel loads and constitute a major part of the track self-weight. Design of prestressed concrete ties involves an evaluation of their structural interaction with the ballast and an understanding of prestressed concrete design for service loads and ultimate loads. This paper aims to provide an insight for the design of a prestressed concrete ballasted railway tie under service loads and highlight the genuine qualities of tie design in terms geotechnical engineering, materials engineering and structural engineering. Through the analysis of a finite element model, this paper presents estimations for bending moment values under service conditions for a prestressed concrete high-speed railway tie under varying track support conditions. The paper then compares the estimated values with those suggested by the relevant design guidelines for railway ties

Proclamations of the Tambov uprising: texts and people

Introduction. The paper analyzes the content of proclamations of the Tambov uprising during the period of 1920–1921. The role of appeals in the ideological confrontation between the communist regime and the insurgent movement is revealed.Materials and methods. The ideological orientation, the persuasiveness of the arguments, the language intelligibility and the style of presentation were established based on studying leaflet texts. Opponents invested different meanings in the revolutionary agitation rhetoric and articulated different goals of the armed struggle. Through the printed word, both of them sought not only to prove their adherence to the ideals of the revolution, but to mobilize their supporters for decisive action in order to save it.Results. The antithesis of the assertion of Soviet propaganda about the threat of a return to the old order was the reality of communist violence against rural workers. The text of the anti-government leaflets contained criticism of the Bolsheviks food policy and condemnation of the God-fighting essence of the communist government. The effectiveness of printed agitation by the opponents was limited by the technical capabilities of the insurgents and the illiteracy of most of the local residents. The anti-Semitic character of the handwritten appeals was evidence of the peasants’ reaction to the Jewish dominance in the organs of communist power.Conclusion. The comparison of the texts of the opponents' proclamations leads to the conclusion that both of them called their reader to a decisive struggle in the name of the revolution, but the meaning of its ideals was understood in different ways. Another feature of such proclamations was that their authors and addressees were representatives of the revolutionary generation, which determined their fate, but split them on different sides of the front

Criteria for Optimizing Cortical Hierarchies with Continuous Ranges

In a recent paper (Reid et al., 2009) we introduced a method to calculate optimal hierarchies in the visual network that utilizes continuous, rather than discrete, hierarchical levels, and permits a range of acceptable values rather than attempting to fit fixed hierarchical distances. There, to obtain a hierarchy, the sum of deviations from the constraints that define the hierarchy was minimized using linear optimization. In the short time since publication of that paper we noticed that many colleagues misinterpreted the meaning of the term “optimal hierarchy”. In particular, a majority of them were under the impression that there was perhaps only one optimal hierarchy, but a substantial difficulty in finding that one. However, there is not only more than one optimal hierarchy but also more than one option for defining optimality. Continuing the line of this work we look at additional options for optimizing the visual hierarchy: minimizing the number of violated constraints and minimizing the maximal size of a constraint violation using linear optimization and mixed integer programming. The implementation of both optimization criteria is explained in detail. In addition, using constraint sets based on the data from Felleman and Van Essen (1991), optimal hierarchies for the visual network are calculated for both optimization methods

A macaque connectome for large-scale network simulations in TheVirtualBrain

© 2019, The Author(s). Models of large-scale brain networks that are informed by the underlying anatomical connectivity contribute to our understanding of the mapping between the structure of the brain and its dynamical function. Connectome-based modelling is a promising approach to a more comprehensive understanding of brain function across spatial and temporal scales, but it must be constrained by multi-scale empirical data from animal models. Here we describe the construction of a macaque (Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis) connectome for whole-cortex simulations in TheVirtualBrain, an open-source simulation platform. We take advantage of available axonal tract-tracing datasets and enhance the existing connectome data using diffusion-based tractography in macaques. We illustrate the utility of the connectome as an extension of TheVirtualBrain by simulating resting-state BOLD-fMRI data and fitting it to empirical resting-state data