Estimating the solar meridional circulation by normal mode decomposition

The objective of this article is to use Fourier-Hankel decomposition as suggested earlier by Braun & Fan (1998) to estimate the integrated horizontal meridional flow velocity as a function of mode penetration depth, and to find ways of potentially improve this technique. We use a time series of 43200 (30 days) consecutive full-disk Dopplergrams obtained by the MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager) instrument aboard the SOHO (Solar Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft in April 1999. We find averaged meridional flow estimates of 15 m/s for modes with a penetration depth in the upper 20 Mm of the solar convection zone. This reproduces the results of the earlier investigations. Moreover we conclude that this method has the potential to become a new technique to measure the meridional circulation in the deep convection zone, if some improvements will be applied.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, HELAS workshop proceedings "Roadmap for European Local Helioseismology", Nice, 25-27 September 200

Dynamics of the fast solar tachocline: I. Dipolar field

One possible scenario for the origin of the solar tachocline, known as the "fast tachocline", assumes that the turbulent diffusivity exceeds eta>10^9 cm^2/s. In this case the dynamics will be governed by the dynamo-generated oscillatory magnetic field on relatively short timescales. Here, for the first time, we present detailed numerical models for the fast solar tachocline with all components of the magnetic field calculated explicitly, assuming axial symmetry and a constant turbulent diffusivity eta and viscosity nu. We find that a sufficiently strong oscillatory poloidal field with dipolar latitude dependence at the tachocline-convective zone boundary is able to confine the tachocline. Exploring the three-dimensional parameter space defined by the viscosity in the range log(nu)=9-11, the magnetic Prandtl number in the range Prm=0.1-10, and the meridional flow amplitude (-3 to +3 cm/s), we also find that the confining field strength B_conf, necessary to reproduce the observed thickness of the tachocline, increases with viscosity nu, with magnetic Prandtl number nu/eta, and with equatorward meridional flow speed. Nevertheless, the resulting B_conf values remain quite reasonable, in the range 10^3-10^4 G, for all parameter combinations considered here. The thickness of the tachocline shows a marked dependence on both time and latitude. A comparison with seismic constraints suggests that best agreement with our models is achieved for the highest values of nu and Prm considered here.Comment: 11 page

Price policy of hostels in big cities (by example of the Russian south)

The development of tourism and the hospitality industry is a state priority for Russia. Its successful accomplishment can be facilitated, particularly, by increasing the number of collective accommodation facilities of different types, including hostels. In this work, we analyze the pricing policy of the latter in three big cities of the Russian South, namely Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, and Krasnodar. All of them are characterized by focusing on relatively low-cost accommodation. It is established that both the average (mean) and median values of the minimal cost of hostel accommodation are the lowest in Krasnodar and the highest in Volgograd. This can be explained by the bigger number of such hospitality organizations in the former city, where, consequently, stronger competition encourages as policy aimed at lower prices. The pricing policy of hostels can be considered as the best formed in Rostov-on-Don. Hostel accommodation costs in the big cities of the Russian South can be compared with that in similar towns by population, administrative role, and economic specialization in Europe, from which Hamburg, Germany, Lyon, France, and Birmingham (UK) are chosen. The comparison of the prices based on average annual currency exchange rates demonstrates significant «cheapness» of hostel accommodation in the Russian South. However, taking into account the purchasing power parity of currencies relatively to the US dollar, for which we use the World Bank index and the Big Mac Index, it is possible to find that the difference of prices is not so significant. Moreover, the hostel accommodation cost in the big cities of the Russian South and Europe is comparable sometimes. Therefore, the above-mentioned «cheapness» is partly relative. In regard to the said above, it becomes evident that the pricing policy of hostels in the big cities of the Russian South has to be improved. This is especially ture before the FIFA World Cup due in 2018 as some matches that will take place in Rostov-on-Don and Volgograd will require accommodation of numerous people, many of which will favour hostels. We propose that necessary administrative support should be provided and, possibly, some subsidies for increasing the number of hostels in the noted cities, the result of which will be a decrease in prices because of an increase in competition among hostels.Развитие индустрии туризма и гостеприимства является для России задачей государственного значения. Ее успешному решению должно способствовать, в частности, увеличение числа коллективных средств размещения различных типов, включая хостелы. В настоящей работе анализируется ценовая политика последних в трех крупных городах юга России, а именно Ростове-на-Дону, Волгограде и Краснодаре. Для всех из них характерна ориентация на сравнительно низкую стоимость размещения. Установлено, что и средние, и медианные значения минимальной стоимости размещения в хостелах оказываются наименьшими в Краснодаре, а наибольшими - в Волгограде. Это объясняется большим числом подобного рода организаций гостиничного сектора в первом из указанных городов, где, следовательно, более интенсивная конкуренция стимулирует проведение политики, направленной на снижение цен. При этом ценовую политику хостелов можно считать в наибольшей мере сформированной в Ростове-на-Дону. Стоимость размещения в хостелах в крупных городах юга России может сравниваться с таковой в аналогичных по численности населения, административному значению и экономической специализации городах Европы, в качестве каковых выбраны немецкий Гамбург, французский Лион и английский Бирмингем. Сравнение цен в пересчете на иностранную валюту по среднегодовым номинальным курсам выявляет значительную «дешевизну» размещения в хостелах на юге России. Однако учет паритета покупательной способности валют по отношению к доллару, для чего использованы предлагаемый Всемирным банком показатель и Big Mac Index, позволяет обнаружить, что различие цен не столь велико. Более того, стоимость размещения в хостелах крупных городов юга России и Европы подчас оказывается вообще сопоставимой. Следовательно, отмеченная выше «дешевизна» отчасти условна. В связи с вышесказанным видится вполне очевидным, что ценовая политика хостелов в крупных городах юга России подлежит оптимизации, тем более в преддверии чемпионата мира по футболу 2018 г., проведение матчей которого в Ростове-на-Дону и Волгограде потребует размещения большого числа лиц, многие из которых ориентированы именно на хостелы. Предлагается предоставить административную поддержку и возможно субсидирование для увеличения числа хостелов в указанных городах, результатом чего должно стать снижение стоимости размещения в них вследствие усиления конкуренции

Radiation Induced Point and Cluster-Related Defects with Strong Impact to Damage Properties of Silicon Detectors

This work focuses on the investigation of radiation induced defects responsible for the degradation of silicon detectors. Comparative studies of the defects induced by irradiation with 60Co- rays, 6 and 15 MeV electrons, 23 GeV protons and 1 MeV equivalent reactor neutrons revealed the existence of point defects and cluster related centers having a strong impact on damage properties of Si diodes. The detailed relation between the microscopic reasons as based on defect analysis and their macroscopic consequences for detector performance are presented. In particular, it is shown that the changes in the Si device properties after exposure to high levels of 60Co- doses can be completely understood by the formation of two point defects, both depending strongly on the Oxygen concentration in the silicon bulk. Specific for hadron irradiation are the annealing effects which decrease resp. increase the originally observed damage effects as seen by the changes of the depletion voltage. A group of three cluster related defects, revealed as deep hole traps, proved to be responsible specifically for the reverse annealing. Their formation is not affected by the Oxygen content or Si growth procedure suggesting that they are complexes of multi-vacancies located inside extended disordered regions.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figure

Effects of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome on Long-Term Growth Parameters

Introduction: Past studies have shown that babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) have lower weight, head circumference, and height at birth. This study aims to compare their growth at 9 and 18 months of age, and to compare growth parameter of NAS infants below 10th percentile to those above 10th percentile at birth. Methods: In this retrospective review, 260 infants admitted to Jefferson Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between 2006 and 2018 were included. The weight, height, and head circumference at birth, 9 months, and 18 months were collected and correlated by Pearson correlation. The growth parameters of infants below 10th percentile at birth were also compared with those above 10th percentile by appropriate statistical tests. Results: There was a significant but weak correlation between birth and 9 month weight, head circumference, and length (r=0.28, p \u3c 0.001; r=0.22, p = 0.001; and r=0.13, p = 0.048; respectively) which persisted at 18 months for weight and head circumference but not for length. There were significant differences in weight (p = 0.01), head circumference (p = 0.02), and length (p = 0.02) between infants below 10th percentile and those above 10th percentile at 9 months, but not at 18 months. Discussion: The results implicate that NAS infants who were small for gestational age at birth catch up to their counterparts in physical growth parameter. Further studies on longer term follow-up and underlying factors that allow for this growth could help design interventions that enhance their growth

К вопросу определения звукоизолирующих свойств строительных материалов с использованием акустической камеры

Секция III : Ресурсо- и энергосберегающие строительные материалы и технологииВ статье рассматриваются акустические характеристики звукоизолирующих преград в зависимости от строительного материала на примере исследования звукоизолирующих свойств изделий из гофрированного картона.=The article discusses the acoustic characteristics of sound-proofing barriers depending on the build-ing material on the example of the study of the sound-proofing properties of corrugated cardboard products

Статистический анализ устойчивости водопользования в регионах России

This article presents interregional statistical analysis of water use sustainability in the Russian Federation. Constructed analytical grouping showed uneven distribution of sewage pollution levels in regions of the country. The largest wastewater discharge was detected in St. Petersburg and the Moscow region, which is explained primarily by the presence of water-intensive industrial plants, and also is due to the large population residing in these areas.The paper argues the extreme need to strengthen the ecologization of the water sector, which should be conducted without reducing the pace of development of economic activity at the regional level. On the basis of the correlation analysis of the relationship between the dynamics of the gross regional product and the discharge of contaminated sewage over a ten-year period, this situation can be observed in only one third of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. A quarter of all the Russian regions show negative trends in water use: economic development is accompanied by an increase in the discharge of contaminated sewage.For a more detailed assessment of the degree of sustainability of water use, it is proposed to calculate the decoupling effect index - the ratio of the growth rate of the gross regional product to the rate of growth of contaminated sewage into surface water bodies. Based on the results of these calculations for the year 2015, a matrix similar to the matrix of the Boston Consulting Group was drawn up, in which four groups of regions were identified according to the index of the decoupling effect in water use: economically unstable, economically and environmentally unsustainable, environmentally unsustainable and economically (and environmentally sustainable).The article discusses feasibility of using the decoupling effect index as a tool for planning regional environmental and economic policy.Содержанием статьи является межрегиональный статистический анализ процессов устойчивости водопользования в Российской Федерации. На основе построеннной аналитической группировки показано неравномерное распределение уровня загрязнения сточными водами по регионам страны. Наибольший сброс загрязненных сточных вод выявлен в г. Санкт-Петербурге и Московской области, что объясняется прежде всего наличием в них водоемких промышленных производств, а также обусловлено значительной численностью населения в этих субъектах Федерации.В работе аргументируется крайняя необходимость усиления экологизации водного хозяйства, проводимой без сокращения темпов развития хозяйственной деятельности на региональном уровне. На основе проведенного корреляционного анализа взаимосвязи динамики валового регионального продукта и сброса загрязненных сточных вод за десятилетний период такое положение прослеживается только в одной трети субъектов Российской Федерации. Четверть российских регионов демонстрируют негативные тенденции в водопользовании: экономическое развитие сопровождается ростом сброса загрязненных сточных вод.Для более детального определения степени устойчивости водопользования предлагается рассчитывать индекс эффекта декаплинга - отношение темпа роста валового регионального продукта к темпу роста загрязненных сточных вод в поверхностные водные объекты. На основании результатов таких расчетов за 2015 г. составлена матрица, подобная матрице Бостонской консалтинговой группы, в которой выделены четыре группы регионов по индексу эффекта декаплинга в водопользовании: экономическинеустойчивые, экономически и экологически неустойчивые, экологически неустойчивые и экономически и экологически устойчивые. Дается обоснование возможности использования индекса эффекта декаплинга в качестве инструмента планирования региональной эколого-экономической политики

Indentation-induced local polarization reversal in La doped BiFeO3 ceramics

Stress-induced local polarization reversal was studied in La doped BiFeO3 ceramics under the action of indentation. Piezoresponse force microscopy was used for study of domain struc-ture before and after local polarization reversal. Two mechanisms of domain formation were revealed: (1) direct stress-induced and (2) stress mediated by grain clamping. Critical stress value for local polarization reversal was extracted from the dependence of the switched area on the applied loading force.The equipment of the Ural Center for Shared Use “Modern nanotechnology” Ural Federal University was used. The study was funded by RFBR (grant No. 17-52-04074) and BRFFR (grant No. F17RM-036), by Government of the Russian Federation (Act 211, Agreement 02.A03.21.0006). This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 (FCT Ref. UID/CTM/50011/2013), financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 778070

The Effect of Diet-Induced Obesity and Subsequent Weight Loss on Body Composition, Glucose Clearance, Metabolite Profile and Liver Amp-Activated Protein Kinase in Mice

Obesity, currently an epidemic, is a difficult disease to combat because it is marked by both a change in body weight and an underlying dysregulation in metabolism, making consistent weight loss challenging. We sought to elucidate this metabolic dysregulation resulting from diet-induced obesity (DIO) that persists through subsequent weight loss. We hypothesized that weight gain imparts a change in “metabolic set point” persisting through subsequent weight loss and that this modification may involve a persistent change in hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key energy-sensing enzyme in the body. To test these hypotheses, we tracked metabolic perturbations through this period, measuring changes in hepatic AMPK. To further understand the role of AMPK we used AICAR, an AMPK activator, following DIO. Our findings established a more dynamic metabolic model of DIO and subsequent weight loss. We observed hepatic AMPK elevation following weight loss, but AICAR administration without similar dieting was unsuccessful in improving metabolic dysregulation. Our findings provide an approach to modeling DIO and subsequent dieting that can be built upon in future studies and hopefully contribute to more effective long-term treatments of obesity