Exploring zoning scenario impacts upon urban growth simulations using a dynamic spatial model

Dynamic spatial models are being increasingly used to explore urban changes and evaluate the social and environmental consequences of urban growth. However, inadequate representation of spatial complexity, regional differentiation, and growth management policies can result in urban models with a high overall prediction accuracy but low pixel-matching precision. Correspondingly, improving urban growth prediction accuracy and reliability has become an important area of research in geographic information science and applied urban studies. This work focuses on exploring the potential impacts of zoning on urban growth simulations. Although the coding of land-use types into distinct zones is an important growth management strategy, it has not been adequately addressed in urban modeling practices. In this study, we developed a number of zoning schemes and examined their impacts on urban growth predictions using a cellular automaton-based dynamic spatial model. Using the city of Jinan, a fast-growing large metropolis in China, as the study site, five zoning scenarios were designed: no zoning (S0), zoning based on land-use type (S1), zoning based on urbanized suitability (S2), zoning based on administrative division (S3), and zoning based on development planning subdivision (S4). Under these scenarios, growth was simulated and the respective prediction accuracies and projected patterns were evaluated against observed urban patterns derived from remote sensing. It was found that zoning can affect prediction accuracy and projected urbanized patterns, with the zoning scenarios taking spatial differentiation of planning policies into account (i.e., S2–4) generating better predictions of newly urbanized pixels, better representing urban clustered development, and boosting the level of spatial matching relative to zoning by land-use type (S1). The novelty of this work lies in its design of specific zoning scenarios based on spatial differentiation and growth management policies and in its insight into the impacts of various zoning scenarios on urban growth simulation. These findings indicate opportunities for the more accurate projection of urban pattern growth through the use of dynamic models with appropriately designed zoning scenarios. Keywords：urban growth simulation; zoning scenarios; cellular automaton models; spatial matching; prediction accurac

Mapping of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Rivers From Very High Resolution Image Data, Using Object Based Image Analysis Combined with Expert Knowledge

The use of remote sensing for monitoring of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in fluvial environments has been limited by the spatial and spectral resolution of available image data. The absorption of light in water also complicates the use of common image analysis methods. This paper presents the results of a study that uses very high resolution (VHR) image data, collected with a Near Infrared sensitive DSLR camera, to map the distribution of SAV species for three sites along the Desselse Nete, a lowland river in Flanders, Belgium. Plant species, including Ranunculus aquatilis L., Callitriche obtusangula Le Gall, Potamogeton natans L., Sparganium emersum L. and Potamogeton crispus L., were classified from the data using Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) and expert knowledge. A classification rule set based on a combination of both spectral and structural image variation (e.g. texture and shape) was developed for images from two sites. A comparison of the classifications with manually delineated ground truth maps resulted for both sites in 61% overall accuracy. Application of the rule set to a third validation image, resulted in 53% overall accuracy. These consistent results show promise for species level mapping in such biodiverse environments, but also prompt a discussion on assessment of classification accuracy

Transformation of the electoral process through the prism of pandemic COVID‑19

Анализируются изменения избирательного законодательства Российской Федерации в период пандемии. Отдельное внимание уделяется апробации дистанционного электронного голосования и многодневного голосования. Проводится сравнение с актуальным опытом зарубежных стран.The author analyzes the changes of electoral law of Russian Federation during the pandemic. Special attention is paid for approbation of remote electronic voting and some days during voting. Author compares experience of Russia with current experience of foreign countries

The Concept of a Natural Object As an Element of the Forensic Databases

A natural object as an element of the system of accounting and registration activities has a dual nature, which determines the multidirectional functional purposes of its use. On the one hand, as an object of reference funds, it conveys a system of properties and attributes inherent in it as in an independent material object. On the other hand, a natural object acts as one of the forms of keeping forensic records, containing important information about a trace-forming object and the mechanism of trace formation. The currently existing theoretical approaches to the definition of a “natural object” do not fully consider its specificity and the variety of its constituent elements.The article addresses the etymological, subject, and functional approaches to the essence of a natural object, determining its position and status in the system of forensic databases. The analysed features determine the possibility of using this form of information storage as an object of identification, diagnostic and situational expert research. The authors propose a “natural object” definition as a material source of primary (primary-reflected) objective information, containing a set of properties and features resistant to time factors that form derived information. The suggested definition provides a precise understanding of the considered analysed of a “natural object” for further use in departmental regulatory documents and scientific and practical works

Integration of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) signaling cascades: role in the therapeutic inefficiency of tamoxifen

Growth factors signaling cascades and their interaction with the central regulatory targets of tumor cells and estrogens are considered as the main mechanisms of hormonal resistance in breast cancer. The integration  of the transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt (protein kinase B)/mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) signaling pathway may result in the activation of proliferation and, as a result, the development of an in-effective response to therapy and disease progression. The review summarizes a systematic analysis of the literature data on the role of TGF-β1 signaling in the mechanisms of tamoxifen resistance to in the aspect of interaction  with the PI3K/Akt/mTOR. The interaction between the estrogen receptors α signaling and tamoxifen, the mechanisms of regulatory activation of TGF-β1 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR, as well as their contribution to the tamoxifen response are considered. The direct involvement of TGF-β1/PI3K in the mechanisms of tamoxifen resistance to determines the prospects for studying the effector of these cascades as molecular targets. The knowledge accumulated to date allows considering the TGF-β1/PI3K signaling pathway as a potential molecular tool for the search for effective strategies for blocking the resistance of tumor cells to tamoxifen

Понятие натурного объекта как элемента системы криминалистической регистрации

A natural object as an element of the system of accounting and registration activities has a dual nature, which determines the multidirectional functional purposes of its use. On the one hand, as an object of reference funds, it conveys a system of properties and attributes inherent in it as in an independent material object. On the other hand, a natural object acts as one of the forms of keeping forensic records, containing important information about a trace-forming object and the mechanism of trace formation. The currently existing theoretical approaches to the definition of a “natural object” do not fully consider its specificity and the variety of its constituent elements.The article addresses the etymological, subject, and functional approaches to the essence of a natural object, determining its position and status in the system of forensic databases. The analysed features determine the possibility of using this form of information storage as an object of identification, diagnostic and situational expert research. The authors propose a “natural object” definition as a material source of primary (primary-reflected) objective information, containing a set of properties and features resistant to time factors that form derived information. The suggested definition provides a precise understanding of the considered analysed of a “natural object” for further use in departmental regulatory documents and scientific and practical works.Натурный объект, как элемент системы учетно-регистрационной деятельности, обладает двойственной природой, что обуславливает разнонаправленность его функциональных предназначений. С одной стороны, являясь объектом справочно-вспомогательных фондов, он передает систему свойств и признаков, присущих ему как самостоятельному материальному объекту. С другой – натурный объект выступает в качестве одной из форм ведения экспертно-криминалистических учетов, содержащих значимую информацию о следообразующем объекте и механизме следообразования. Существующие в настоящее время теоретические подходы к дефиниции «натурный объект» не учитывают в полном объеме ее специфику и многообразие составных элементов.В статье рассмотрены этимологический, предметный и функциональный подходы к сущности натурного объекта, определяющие его положение и статус в системе криминалистической регистрации. Выделенные признаки обуславливают возможность использования данной формы хранения информации в качестве объекта идентификационных, диагностических и ситуационных экспертных исследований. Предложено определение натурного объекта: материальный источник первичной (носитель первично-отраженной) объективной информации, содержащий совокупность устойчивых к временным факторам свойств и признаков, формирующих производную информацию. Предлагаемое определение предусматривает однозначность понимания дефиниции «натурный объект» для дальнейшего использования в ведомственных нормативных документах и научно-практических работах

АНТИБІОТИКОРЕЗИСТЕНТНІСТЬ УМОВНО-ПАТОГЕННИХ МІКРООРГАНІЗМІВ: АКТУАЛЬНІСТЬ, УМОВИ ВИНИКНЕННЯ, ШЛЯХИ ПОДОЛАННЯ

Improper use of antibiotics by humans and their application in livestock industries accelerate the emergence of antibiotic resistance. As a result, the treatment of many infectious diseases, including respiratory diseases (pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc.) becomes more difficult: the length of stay in the hospital, the cost of treatment and death rates from these ailments increase. Multidrug resistance is usually found in bacteria that cause infections, as well as in commensal microorganisms that colonize the intestinal tract, skin and upper respiratory tract. The formation of antibiotic resistance in all cases is predetermined genetically, due to the acquisition of new genetic information, or due to changes in the level of expression of their own genes. An important factor in combating the spread of antibiotic resistance is the pharmacodynamic justification of dosing regimens of antibacterial drugs, the use of a hospital form based on local data on the antibiotic resistance of specific microorganisms.Неправильне використання антибіотиків у медицині та застосування їх у різних галузях тваринництва прискорюють виникнення антибіотикорезистентності. Внаслідок цього лікування багатьох інфекційних захворювань, зокрема, респіраторних (пневмонії, бронхіти, бронхіоліти, навіть туберкульозу), стає важчим: подовжується період перебування хворих у стаціонарі, зростають витрати на лікування та збільшуються показники смертності від цих недуг. Полімедикаментозну стійкість, зазвичай, виявляють у патогенних бактерій, а також у коменсальних мікрорганізмів, які колонізують кишковий канал, верхні дихальні шляхи та шкіру людини. Формування антибіотикорезистентності у всіх випадках зумовлене генетично, внаслідок набуття нової генетичної інформації або завдяки зміні рівня експресії власних генів бактерійної клітини. Важливим фактором боротьби з поширенням антибіотикорезистентності є фармакодинамічне обґрунтування режимів дозування антибактерійних препаратів, використання лікарняного формуляру, що ґрунтується на локальних даних про розповсюдження антибіотикорезистентності конкретних мікроорганізмів

АДГЕЗИВНІ ВЛАСТИВОСТІ БАКТЕРІЙ, ЯКІ УТВОРЮЮТЬ МІКРОБІОТУ РОТОГЛОТКИ ХВОРИХ НА ТУБЕРКУЛЬОЗ

Проведено вивчення адгезивних властивостей мікрофлори ротоглотки у хворих на туберкульоз легень та здорових осіб, а також порівняльну характеристику їх властивостей. Встановлено закономірності змін вищевказаних властивостей нормальної мікрофлори ротоглотки у різних груп обстежуваних

Impact of changes in snow cover regime on agronomic risks causing pink snow mold

Traditionally, the main strategic crop for the Russian Federation is winter cereals, therefore, the snow cover regime is of great importance for their cultivation. In the second decade of April 2021, after the snow cover disappeared on the experimental fields of Russian State Agrarian University, severe damage and partial death of winter triticale from the disease pink snow mold was noted. Measurements of the parameters of the snow cover in the period 2001–2021 showed that in the winter and spring of 2021 on the territory of Moscow the characteristics of the snow cover regime were close to agrometeorological Hazardous Phenomena standards on the territory of the Russian Federation. The risk of developing pink snow mold is directly related to the snow cover regime. Analysis of the dynamics of the characteristics of the snow cover according to the data of the Meteorological Observatory V.A. Michelson for 30 years has made it possible to propose a simple quantitative assessment of the risk of damping of winter crops. Over the past 20 years, the necessary conditions for the development of snow mold in winter cereals took place in 2010/11, 2012/13, 2017/18 and 2020/21. Analysis of the data on the early establishment of snow cover over the past 30 years shows that this factor is gradually losing its relevance due to the pronounced trend of its retardation. There is a noticeable tendency for an increase in the frequency of extremely late periods of formation of stable snow cover up to the second – third decade of January. During the study period, this phenomenon was observed in 2006 (January 20), 2013 (January 12) and 2019 (January 23). The proposed empirical function of the probability of snow cover formation, depending on the calendar date, can be recommended for assessing risks when making agronomic decisions (timing of sowing winter cereals and harvesting other crops). Freezing of crops has not been observed over the past 30 years

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of (1-x)BiFeO3 - xBaTiO3 ceramics across the phase boundary

The crystal structure and magnetic properties of lead-free ceramics (1-x)BiFeO3 - xBaTiO3 (x < 0.40) prepared by solid state reaction method were studied depending on the chemical composition and temperature. An increase in the concentration of barium and titanium ions leads to the structural transition from the polar rhombohedral structure to the cubic structure through the phase coexistence region characterized by a formation of pseudocubic phase. The isothermal magnetization measurements indicate nearly linear field dependences of magnetization in the temperature range 5 - 300 K which corresponds to a dominance of antiferromagnetic structure in the compounds with x < 0.3. Negligible value of remnant magnetization observed for the compounds having dominant rhombohedral structure diminishes in the compounds with (pseudo) cubic structure. The correlation between the type of structural distortion and magnetic structure is discussed based on the neutron and X-ray diffraction data as well as the magnetization measurements