bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of continuous wave 33 keV H− beam transport through the low energy beam transport section
Authors: Sanin A. , Belchenko Yu. , Popov S. , Ivanov A. , Gmyrya A. , Atlukhanov M. , Abdrakhmanov S.
Published: November 2019

The transport of a continuous wave 33 keV negative ion beam through the low energy beam transport section, designed for beam injection into the tandem accelerator, was studied. The continuous wave H− beam, produced by the Penning surface-plasma source with hollow cathodes and cesium addition, was separated and focused by the 90° bending magnet and then transported through the 0.8 m long transport tube, equipped with beam electrical and optical diagnostics. The beam current was measured by a water-cooled Faraday cup at the transport tube exit. Beam sizes and profiles were measured by CCD cameras looking into the beam from the back and sides. The additions of hydrogen, argon, and xenon to the transport tube and to the bending magnet chamber in the pressure range of 10−6 to 10−4 Torr were tested. The influence of gas addition on the beam space charge compensation and beam transport was studied. A mechanism for the H− beam focusing due to space charge overcompensation and beam compression by the positive charge, produced with positive ion accumulation in the beam, is discussed.
The decomposition mechanism of C4F7N-Cu gas mixtures
Authors: Fu Yuwei , Wang Xiaohua , Yang Aijun , Rong Mingzhe , Zhu Feng
Published: November 2019

C4F7N is one of the most remarkable replacements for SF6, and its decomposition mechanism has a great influence on insulating performance and environmental properties. It is noteworthy that discharges or high temperature also evaporates metal electrodes (e.g., Cu) in the equipment, and the generated metal gases interact with C4F7N and thus affect the C4F7N decomposition mechanism, but the decomposition mechanism is still not clear. In this paper, therefore, the B3LYP method in conjunction with 6-311G(d, p) basis set (for C, N, and F atoms) and Lanl2DZ basis set (for Cu atom) combining transition state theory is used to study the decomposition mechanism of C4F7N-Cu mixtures. 31 reactions are determined in decomposition pathways of C4F7N-Cu mixtures, and their potential energy surface as well as reaction mechanisms are obtained. The rate constants over 300 K–3500 K relevant to the insulation breakdown temperature are calculated based on the above calculations, and dominant reactions in different temperature regions are selected. The results show that (R14) C4F7N + Cu → CF3CFCN + CF2CuF plays a major role in the decomposition of C4F7N-Cu mixtures below 1500 K, while (R1) C4F7N + Cu → TSa1 → CuCN + C3F7 and (R21) C4F7N + Cu → TSc1 → CF3CF(CN)CF2 + CuF are dominant above 1500 K; (R23) CF3CF(CN)CF2 + Cu → CF2(Cu)C(F)CN + CF3 is the most important reaction leading to the generation of CF3 below 1500 K with the overwhelming rate constant, but other reactions also generating CF3 are dominant above 1500 K.
Perspectives of New Zealand patients and GPs at the beginning of patient portal implementation
Authors: Wells Susan , Mahony Faith , Huang Ying , Day Karen
Published: November 2019

ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTIONNew Zealand health policy encourages patient access to their electronic medical records via portals.
AIMTo discover patient and general practitioner (GP) perspectives of access to electronic medical records and e-messaging in the early portal implementation phase.
METHODSIn 2014, Auckland primary health organisations and an Accident & Medical organisation were asked to invite their GPs to complete an online survey and consent for a researcher to attend their waiting room and invite patients to complete a survey.
RESULTSIn total, 421 patients (13% Māori, 18% Pacific, 7% Asian, 53% NZ European/Other) participated from 13 general practices. Most (77%) knew they were entitled to see their medical records and 90% were interested in viewing them. Over two-thirds thought that viewing their records online and e-messaging their practice was a good idea. Over 80% disagreed that they would be worried, confused or embarrassed by seeing their records, with 59% expecting portals to facilitate understanding of their medical conditions. Internet security and privacy concerned 40% of patients. Among 83 GPs who completed the survey, six (7%) had already implemented portals. Few were comfortable to open up the whole health record, especially visit notes. While GPs thought that portal access may help patients better understand their plan of care, their main concerns related to causing confusion and worry. Portal implementation was expected to change GP documentation and increase practice workload and costs without demonstrable benefit to practices.
DISCUSSIONAt the beginning of portal adoption, patients were interested. GPs were more reticent, unsure whether the benefits would outweigh the downsides for their patients and practice workload.
Differentiation of leukemic blasts is not completely blocked in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Agarwal Anupriya , Bolosky William J. , Wilson David B. , Eide Christopher A. , Olson Susan B. , Fan Guang , Druker Brian J.
Published: November 2019

Significance

A long-held tenet in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is that multiple genetic events produce a block in the differentiation of primitive myeloblast cells. Using mathematical modeling, we show that, rather than a complete block, even a slight reduction or skewing of the differentiation rate in these cells produces an AML phenotype. We experimentally validated that mature myeloid cells have the same genotype as leukemic blasts, demonstrating that there is not a complete block in differentiation. While targeted differentiation therapies have shown success in isolated subtypes of AML, our findings suggest that maximizing the potential impact of these agents will require discernment of the specific actionable mechanisms underlying reduced or skewed differentiation in genetic subtypes of the disease.
Assessing the sustainability of post-Green Revolution cereals in India
Authors: Davis Kyle Frankel , Chhatre Ashwini , Rao Narasimha D. , Singh Deepti , Ghosh-Jerath Suparna , Mridul Anvi , Poblete-Cazenave Miguel , Pradhan Nabin , DeFries Ruth
Published: November 2019

Significance

Substantial growth in food production has occurred from a narrowing diversity of crops over the last 50 y. Agricultural policies have largely focused on the single objective of maximizing production with less attention given to nutrition, climate, and environment. Decisions about sustainable food systems require quantifying and assessing multiple dimensions together. In India, diversifying crop production to include more coarse cereals, such as millets and sorghum, can make food supply more nutritious, reduce resource demand and greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance climate resilience without reducing calorie production or requiring more land. Similar multidimensional approaches to food production challenges in other parts of the world can identify win–win scenarios where food systems meet multiple nutritional, environmental, and climate resilience goals.
Neogenin-1 distinguishes between myeloid-biased and balanced
Hoxb5
+
mouse long-term hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Gulati Gunsagar S. , Zukowska Monika , Noh Joseph J. , Zhang Allison , Wesche Daniel J. , Sinha Rahul , George Benson M. , Weissman Irving L. , Szade Krzysztof
Published: November 2019

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) self-renew and generate all blood cells. Recent studies with single cell transplants and lineage tracing suggest that adult HSCs are diverse in their reconstitution and lineage potentials. However, prospective isolation of these subpopulations has remained challenging. Here, we identify Neogenin-1 (NEO1) as a unique surface marker on a fraction of mouse HSCs labeled with
Hoxb5
, a specific reporter of long-term HSCs (LT-HSCs). We show that NEO1
+
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs expand with age and respond to myeloablative stress in young mice while NEO1
−
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs exhibit no significant change in number. Furthermore, NEO1
+
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs are more often in the G
2
/S cell cycle phase compared to NEO1
−
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs in both young and old bone marrow. Upon serial transplantation, NEO1
+
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs exhibit myeloid-biased differentiation and reduced reconstitution while NEO1
−
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs are lineage-balanced and stably reconstitute recipients. Gene expression analysis reveals erythroid and myeloid priming in the NEO1
+
fraction and association of quiescence and self-renewal–related transcription factors with NEO1
−
LT-HSCs. Finally, transplanted NEO1
+
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs rarely generate NEO1
−
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs while NEO1
−
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs repopulate both LT-HSC fractions. This supports a model in which dormant, balanced NEO1
−
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs can hierarchically precede active, myeloid-biased NEO1
+
Hoxb5
+
LT-HSCs.
ITPK1 mediates the lipid-independent synthesis of inositol phosphates controlled by metabolism
Authors: Desfougères Yann , Wilson Miranda S. C. , Laha Debabrata , Miller Gregory J. , Saiardi Adolfo
Published: November 2019

Inositol phosphates (IPs) comprise a network of phosphorylated molecules that play multiple signaling roles in eukaryotes. IPs synthesis is believed to originate with IP
3
generated from PIP
2
by phospholipase C (PLC). Here, we report that in mammalian cells PLC-generated IPs are rapidly recycled to inositol, and uncover the enzymology behind an alternative “soluble” route to synthesis of IPs. Inositol tetrakisphosphate 1-kinase 1 (ITPK1)—found in Asgard archaea, social amoeba, plants, and animals—phosphorylates I(3)P
1
originating from glucose-6-phosphate, and I(1)P
1
generated from sphingolipids, to enable synthesis of IP
6
. We also found using PAGE mass assay that metabolic blockage by phosphate starvation surprisingly increased IP
6
levels in a ITPK1-dependent manner, establishing a route to IP
6
controlled by cellular metabolic status, that is not detectable by traditional [
3
H]-inositol labeling. The presence of ITPK1 in archaeal clades thought to define eukaryogenesis indicates that IPs had functional roles before the appearance of the eukaryote.
Mechanism of differential Zika and dengue virus neutralization by a public antibody lineage targeting the DIII lateral ridge
Authors: Zhao Haiyan , Xu Lily , Bombardi Robin , Nargi Rachel , Deng Zengqin , Errico John M. , Nelson Christopher A. , Dowd Kimberly A. , Pierson Theodore C. , Crowe James E. , Diamond Michael S. , Fremont Daved H.
Published: November 2019

We previously generated a panel of human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Zika virus (ZIKV) and identified one, ZIKV-116, that shares germline usage with mAbs identified in multiple donors. Here we show that ZIKV-116 interferes with ZIKV infection at a post-cellular attachment step by blocking viral fusion with host membranes. ZIKV-116 recognizes the lateral ridge of envelope protein domain III, with one critical residue varying between the Asian and African strains responsible for differential binding affinity and neutralization potency (E393D). ZIKV-116 also binds to and cross-neutralizes some dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV1) strains, with genotype-dependent inhibition explained by variation in a domain II residue (R204K) that potentially modulates exposure of the distally located, partially cryptic epitope. The V-J reverted germline configuration of ZIKV-116 preferentially binds to and neutralizes an Asian ZIKV strain, suggesting that this epitope may optimally induce related B cell clonotypes. Overall, these studies provide a structural and molecular mechanism for a cross-reactive mAb that uniquely neutralizes ZIKV and DENV1.
Detection of individual sub-pixel features in edge-illumination x-ray phase contrast imaging by means of the dark-field channel
Authors: Matsunaga Norihito , Yano Kazuhiro , Endrizzi Marco , Olivo Alessandro
Published: November 2019

We report on a direct comparison in the detectability of individual sub-pixel-size features between the three complementary contrast channels provided by edge-illumination x-ray phase contrast imaging at constant exposure time and spatial sampling pitch. The dark-field (or ultra-small-angle x-ray scattering) image is known to provide information on sample micro-structure at length scales that are smaller than the system’s spatial resolution, averaged over its length. By using a custom-built groove sample, we show how this can also be exploited to detect individual, isolated features. While these are highlighted in the dark-field image, they remain invisible to the phase and attenuation contrast channels. Finally, we show images of a memory SD card as an indication towards potential applications.
Superconducting TaH5 at high pressure
Authors: Li Hefei , Li Xue , Wang Hui , Liu Guangtao , Li Yinwei , Liu Hanyu
Published: November 2019

Recently, the significant development, in the field of high-temperature superconductivity among the compressed elements hydrides (such as LaH10), opens up a door in pursuing room-temperature superconductors. Therefore, the investigations of excellent superconductivity in hydrogen-rich materials have become a hot topic of considerable interest. Herein, we explore the stabilities of compressed tantalum polyhydrides TaH
n
(n = 1–6) and the superconductivity by using a particle swarm optimization structure prediction methodology in combination with the first-principles electronic structure framework. As a result of structure searches, we identified a stable TaH5 compound under high pressure, which consists edge shared TaH12 polyhedra. Remarkably, within Allen–Dynes modified McMillan equation, our predicted TaH5 is a superconductor with superconducting critical temperature (T
c) of 18–23 K at 100 GPa.
Ultrafast demagnetization of Pt magnetic moment in L10-FePt probed by magnetic circular dichroism at a hard x-ray free electron laser
Authors: Yamamoto Kohei , Kubota Yuya , Suzuki Motohiro , Hirata Yasuyuki , Carva Karel , Berritta Marco , Takubo Kou , Uemura Yohei , Fukaya Ryo , Tanaka Kenta , Nishimura Wataru , Ohkochi Takuo , Katayama Tetsuo , Togashi Tadashi , Tamasaku Kenji , Yabashi Makina , Tanaka Yoshihito , Seki Takeshi , Takanashi Koki , Oppeneer Peter M , Wadati Hiroki
Published: November 2019

Unraveling the origin of ultrafast demagnetization in multisublattice ferromagnetic materials requires femtosecond x-ray techniques to trace the magnetic moment dynamics on individual elements, but this could not yet be achieved in the hard x-ray regime. We demonstrate here the first ultrafast demagnetization dynamics in the ferromagnetic heavy 5d-transition metal Pt using circularly-polarized hard x-rays at an x-ray free electron laser (XFEL). The decay time of laser-induced demagnetization of L10-FePt is determined to be

τ

Pt

=
0.61
±
0.04

ps

using time-resolved x-ray magnetic circular dichroism at the Pt L3 edge, whereas magneto-optical Kerr measurements indicate the decay time for the total magnetization as

τ

total

<
0.1

ps

. A transient magnetic state with a photo-modulated ratio of the 3d and 5d magnetic moments is demonstrated for pump–probe delays larger than 1 ps. We explain this distinct photo-modulated transient magnetic state by the induced-moment behavior of the Pt atom and the x-ray probing depth. Our findings pave the way for the future use of XFELs to disentangle atomic spin dynamics contributions.
Thickness-dependent excitonic properties of atomically thin 2H-MoTe2*
Authors: Li Jin-Huan , Bing Dan , Wu Zhang-Ting , Wu Guo-Qing , Bai Jing , Du Ru-Xia , Qi Zheng-Qing
Published: November 2019

Two-dimensional (2D) 2H-MoTe2 is a promising semiconductor because of its small bandgap, strong absorption, and low thermal conductivity. In this paper, we systematically study the optical and excitonic properties of atomically thin 2H-MoTe2 (1–5 layers). Due to the fact that the optical contrast and Raman spectra of 2H-MoTe2 with different thicknesses exhibit distinctly different behaviors, we establish a quantitative method by using optical images and Raman spectra to directly identify the layers of 2H-MoTe2 thin films. Besides, excitonic states and binding energy in monolayer/bilayer 2H-MoTe2 are measured by temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. At temperature T = 3.3 K, we can observe an exciton emission at ∼ 1.19 eV and trion emission at ∼ 1.16 eV for monolayer 2H-MoTe2. While at room temperature, the exciton emission and trion emission both disappear for their small binding energy. We determine the exciton binding energy to be 185 meV (179 meV), trion binding energy to be 20 meV (18 meV) for the monolayer (bilayer) 2H-MoTe2. The thoroughly studies of the excitonic states in atomically thin 2H-MoTe2 will provide guidance for future practical applications.
Dynamic shaping of vectorial optical fields based on two-dimensional blazed holographic grating*
Authors: Wang Xinyi , Gao Yuan , Chen Zhaozhong , Ding Jianping , Wang Hui-Tian
Published: November 2019

We propose a vectorial optical field generation system based on two-dimensional blazed grating to high-efficiently generate structured optical fields with prescribed amplitude, phase, and polarization. In this system, an optimized blazed grating hologram is written on a spatial light modulator (SLM) and can diffract the majority of the incident light into the first-order diffractions of the x and y directions, which then serve as base vectors for synthesizing desired vector beams. Compared with the conventional cosine grating used in the previous work, the proposed two-dimensional, blazed grating has a much higher efficiency. Both computer simulation and optical experiment validate that a conversion efficiency up to 5 times that of the former work is achieved. Our method can facilitate applications of the optical field manipulation.
Understanding tidal marsh trajectories: evaluation of multiple indicators of marsh persistence
Authors: Wasson Kerstin , Ganju Neil K , Defne Zafer , Endris Charlie , Elsey-Quirk Tracy , Thorne Karen M , Freeman Chase M , Guntenspergen Glenn , Nowacki Daniel J , Raposa Kenneth B
Published: November 2019

Robust assessments of ecosystem stability are critical for informing conservation and management decisions. Tidal marsh ecosystems provide vital services, yet are globally threatened by anthropogenic alterations to physical and biological processes. A variety of monitoring and modeling approaches have been undertaken to determine which tidal marshes are likely to persist into the future. Here, we conduct the most robust comparison of marsh metrics to date, building on two foundational studies that had previously and independently developed metrics for marsh condition. We characterized pairs of marshes with contrasting trajectories of marsh cover across six regions of the United States, using a combination of remote-sensing and field-based metrics. We also quantified decadal trends in marsh conversion to mudflat/open water at these twelve marshes. Our results suggest that metrics quantifying the distribution of vegetation across an elevational gradient represent the best indicators of marsh trajectories. The unvegetated to vegetated ratio and flood-ebb sediment differential also served as valuable indicators. No single metric universally predicted marsh trajectories, and therefore a more robust approach includes a suite of spatially-integrated, landscape-scale metrics that are mostly obtainable from remote sensing. Data from surface elevation tables and marker horizons revealed that degrading marshes can have higher rates of vertical accretion and elevation gain than more intact counterparts, likely due to longer inundation times potentially combined with internal recycling of material. A high rate of elevation gain relative to local sea-level rise has been considered critical to marsh persistence, but our results suggest that it also may serve as a signature of degradation in marshes that have already begun to deteriorate. This investigation, with rigorous comparison and integration of metrics initially developed independently, tested at a broad geographic scale, provides a model for collaborative science to develop management tools for improving conservation outcomes.
Assessment of man-made impact of mining on the environment of the Baikal-Mongolian region
Authors: Abalakov A D , Bazarova N B
Published: November 2019

In the Baikal-Mongolian region the assessment of the environmental impact of mining is carried out for mining enterprises that search, explore, and extract various types of mineral raw materials, as well as carry out their primary processing, waste disposal and recultivation of wastelands. We proposed a research model, summarizing the investigation content and stages. Leading importance is attached to the cartographic method based on remote materials and geo-information technologies, which increases the reliability, visibility and efficiency of the results obtained. We developed a system of indicators, taking into account the peculiarities of mining industry and environment. The negative impact of mining production on specially protected natural territories is assessed, the role of the latter as nature reserves and barriers to the technogenic expansion is determined. The enterprises that have the strongest environmental impact were comprehensively evaluated, while integrating various aspects of interaction of natural complexes and mining. The evaluation is carried out in relation to landscapes and their components that are most responsible for the environmental state. The maps obtained make it possible to determine the acuteness of ecological situations and plan and implement environmental protection measures in a timely manner. Prospects for further research were identified, a special place in which is given to methods of geoinformation modeling and mapping.
Biochemical monitoring of soils in the area of development of subsurface energy resources
Authors: Belozertseva I A , Davydova N D , Vlasova N V , Sorokovoi A A , Granina N I , Naprasnikova E V
Published: November 2019

It was found that the sites of the drilling rigs are the most transformed and polluted areas of soils on the territory of the gas-condensate field. It was established that the soils of some of the sites of development of the gas-condensate field showed increased contents of oil products, lead, zinc, nickel and chromium exceeding background values and health standards. On the territory of the Nyuchakan base and of some boreholes of the gas-condensate field there occurred a change in the soil water composition, and chloride and sulfate salinization of soils was observed. Characteristic areas of technogenic soils formed 15 and 25 year after the accidents: ejection of highly mineralized oil-field pressure brine (natural brine) to the surface in the area of the valley of the Orlingskaya Nyucha (the Kovykta gas-condensate field), and oil spill in the vicinity of the village of Tyret (the Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk pipeline). They show high contents of oil products, heavy metals and organic matter as well as the shift of the reaction of the medium toward the neutral and alkaline side. The study revealed an increase in the sum of exchange bases, salinization, a heavier granulometric composition, and enhancement in gleying, and a decline in biological activity of soils.
Assessment methods of recreational potential of water objects
Authors: Dirin D A , Madry C
Published: November 2019

The article proposes a methodology for assessing the recreational potential of water objects and their coasts. Such an assessment makes it possible to identify territories and water areas in which maximum concentrations of natural properties useful for recreational activities are localized. This is important when making investment decisions. The evaluation method proposed by the authors is based on a point approach, which allows combining difficultly comparable properties of aquatic (and near-aquatic) geosystems. Evaluation criteria for the methodology are selected using the expert method. For this purpose, a group of international experts in the field of recreational geography was involved in the study. The ranking of criteria by a degree of priority was carried out using the hierarchy analysis method (and using the Expert Choice software). As a result, 27 of the most significant criteria were selected, allowing evaluation of the water body (with its coastal zone) in terms of its suitability for beach-bathing, balneological, hunting and fishing recreation, eco-tourism, as well as physical and landscape-aesthetic properties. The received score on all indicators allows carrying the estimated water object to this or that rank of usefulness for the organization of recreational activity with the help to the corresponding scale of ranging.
An Approach to Economic Growth and Environment Effects in Northeast Asia
Authors: Li F
Published: November 2019

Global achievement of urbanization and farming revitalization in the past few years has taken significant environmental impacts linked to the relative industry sectors, including Northeast Asia and China-Russia Economic Corridor. The environmental degradation-energy shortage-farmland reduction-food security nexus need be urgently explored to improve the sustainability and environmental management, as significance of rural revitalization policies. Consequently, assessing agricultural emissions, livestock waste and the related biogas development is the crux in the nexus treatment. This paper focuses on a Northeast Asia context and analyse the environment-economy relationship applying panel cointegration and panel estimation methods, considering the features of agricultural emissions and animal wastes in Northeast Asia national economies from 1992 to 2016, and explore an open and international farming perspective for rural context. It is indicated a long-run co-integrated curve like Environmental Kuznets Curve between the agricultural environment and economy index. It could be one of the most significant cooperation issues around the region to improve this agriculture related ecology level and the corresponding trade and fund.
Peculiarities of the global climate tendencies in the south-east Russian plains
Authors: Morozova S V , Polyanskaya E A , Kononova N K , Molchanova N P , Solodovnikov A P
Published: November 2019

The paper discusses seasonal changes in the surface temperature of the Northern Hemisphere during various climatic periods - the first wave of global warming, the second wave of global warming, and stabilization. The statistical significance of the changes was estimated. The features of the activity of global climatic trends in the Southeast of the Russian Plain in an arid climate are studied. It is shown that climatic changes in the region have their own characteristics. The degree of climate continentality in different climatic periods is estimated. The change in the continentality degree was statistically significant at the transition from stabilization period to the second wave of global warming. It has been revealed that in the current climate changes in the Southeast of the Russian Plain the main factor in winter is advective, and in summer the main factor is transformational. Climatically meaningful conclusion about the role of transformation in possible further development of global warming is formulated, especially in continental types of climate.
Meteorological regime of the glacier No. 18 (the Peak Topografov massiv, East Sayan range)
Authors: Osipova O P , Osipov E Y
Published: November 2019

For the first time, experimental data on the meteorological regime of a continental glacier (No. 18, East Sayan range, south of East Siberia) have been obtained during the summer seasons of 2015–2017. Standard meteorological parameters, such as air temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, precipitation, incoming short-wave solar radiation, wind speed, and wind direction were measured by using the automatic weather station installed at the lower part of the accumulation area of the glacier (at elevation 2, 550 m). It was established that the meteorological regime of the glacier is characterized by a relatively high mean daily temperatures, humidity and cloudiness, while mean wind speed is relatively low. Liquid precipitation dominates over the solid one and condensation over evaporation. It has been found that temperature and precipitation time series on the glacier correlate well with those at the nearest weather station Orlik and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. The main energy sources for snow/ice melting have been estimated and the main contribution to glacier ablation has been attributed to net shortwave radiation.
Key ornithological territories in western Priokhotye
Authors: Pronkevich V V , Kryukova M V , Makhinov A N
Published: November 2019

The results of studying the current state of the habitats of waterfowls and semiaquatic birds in the western part of the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk are reviewed. These habitats are of crucial importance for the reproduction of the birds, as well as for their massive migratory concentrations on the East Asian-Australian migration route in the summer-autumn period. A description of the natural conditions of these territories is provided and the most valuable biotopes are identified, including drying zones rich in marine invertebrates, waterlogged coastal grass fields and moss bogs with karst lakes. Especially significant clusters of birds are formed in the large sea bays – Shchastya, Nikolaya, Ulbanskii, Konstantin, Tugurskii Bays, Udskaya guba, on the Mukhtel Lake, and in the Amur liman. The state of these territories is currently considered as satisfactory, but nonetheless there are certain threats for the ornithologic fauna and bird population. We propose measures for the conservation of birds at the “Okhotsk section” of the East Asian-Australian migration route. We also suggest to organize wetlands of regional significance “Nikolaya, Ulbanskii and Konstantin Bays” in Tuguro-Chumikanskii district and the natural park “Shchastya Bay” in Nikolaevskii district of Khabarovsk Krai.
The role of landscape planning for the creation of UNESCO Baikal Geopark
Authors: Suturin A N
Published: November 2019

In 1997, Lake Baikal was included in the List of World Heritage Sites. This resulted in the complication of management activities in the Central Ecological Zone. The Law on Lake Baikal protection, by-laws, statements and orders prescribe numerous limitations and do not promote the sustainable development of the Baikal Natural Territory. The idea of UNESCO geoparks is oriented essentially to the sustainable development of territories, comprising unique sites. The main task of land use planning in the central ecological zone of Lake Baikal is to keep Lake Baikal as a natural World Heritage Site and a strategic drinking water resource, taking into account the interests of the population living there. Institute of Geography of SB RAS performed landscape planning of Olkhon District with the establishment of development sites, but these plans are still not realized. This causes conflicts between Pribaikalsky National Park and the local population. A successful development of Basic Sites of Baikal Geopark on the territory of Olkhon District is aimed to solve numerous local problems oriented to the results of landscape planning.
Analysis of the landscape structure of the Malyi Khamar-Daban range
Authors: Vladimirov I N , Frolov A A , Silaev A V , Sofronov A P , Kobylkin D V , Sorokovoi A A
Published: November 2019

The paper considers the landscape study of the Malyi Khamar-Daban Range (western Transbaikalia), located in the basins of the Temnik river (Lake Taglei region) and Torei river (tributary of the Dzhida river). Based on the analysis, a landscape map of a topological level was generated, which presents homogeneous sections (geomers) of natural and natural-anthropogenic geosystems − biogeocenoses. The legend to the landscape map was developed on the basis of the principles of structural and dynamic classification of geosystems, based on the provisions of the doctrine of geosystems, which determine the landscape structure of the territory as the structure of primary and variable states of geosystems. In the legend of the map, taxonomic affiliation, factor-dynamic properties, seriality, and degree of anthropogenic disturbance of geosystems are sequentially displayed. The map displays 23 varieties of biogeocenoses referring to 3 taiga and 1 steppe geom. From factorial-dynamical attributes that determine the conditions of location, geosystems are represented by 6 classes of facies. A distinction needs to be drawn between the primary, pseudo-primary and serial facies. In the study area, 4 degrees of disturbance of geosystems were identified. Conditionally undisturbed geosystems are located mainly in inaccessible territories. The presence of moderate and severe disturbed geosystems is mainly associated with forest fires, local logging, and moderate recreational load and forestry. Areas with the maximum degree of disturbance are confined to agricultural lands and residential territories.
Study on luminescent properties of Tb3+ and Sm3+ co-doped CaSiO3 phosphors for white light emitting diodes
Authors: Khan D T , Dang N T , Jabarov S H , Naghiyev T G , Rzayev R M , Nguyen T Q , Tuyen H V , Thanh N T , Son L V T
Published: November 2019

A series of CaSiO3:x%Tb3+, y%Sm3+ compounds was synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy investigations were conducted to determine crystal structure. The photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectrum of Tb3+ and Sm3+ doped compounds consists of a series of peaks corresponding to electronic transitions of Tb3+ and Sm3+ions. The wavelength of 375 nm was optimal to excite the luminescence of Tb3+/Sm3+ co-doped compounds. The PL emission spectrum consists of a set of intense lines at wavelengths of 415 nm, 436 nm, 457 nm, 488 nm, 543 nm, 586 nm, and 622 nm, corresponding to Tb3+ electronic transitions of 5D3 → 7F5, 5D3 → 7F4, 5D3 → 7F3, 5D4 → 7F6, 5D4 → 7F5, 5D4 → 7F4, and 5D4 → 7F3, respectively. The PL emission spectrum of the Sm3+ doped compound has a series of three peaks located at wavelengths of 565 nm, 602 nm, and 648 nm, corresponding to the electronic transitions of Sm3+ from 4G5/2 to 6H5/2, 6H7/2, and 6H9/2, respectively. The energy level diagram was proposed. The lifetime measurements were conducted for all samples and energy transfer process was also examined by this way. The Commission Internationale de I’Eclairage chromaticity coordinates, correlated color temperature, and color rendering index of phosphors were determined and the results indicate that the obtained materials are optimal candidate for white LED applications.
Anzaldúa, Gloria
Authors: Dahms Betsy
Published: November 2019

Born in the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa (1942–2004) was a prolific writer, scholar, and activist. Her corpus of work includes essays, books, edited volumes, children’s literature, and fiction/autohistorias. Anzaldúa’s life and writing are at the forefront of critical theory as it interacts with feminism, Latinx literature, spirituality, spiritual activism, queer theory, and expansive ideas of queerness and articulations of alternative, non-Western epistemologies and ontologies. The geographical proximity to the US–Mexican border figures prominently throughout in her work, as does her theorization of metaphorical borderlands and liminal spaces. Her oft-cited text Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza is included in many university courses’ reading lists for its contributions to discourses of hybridity, linguistics, intersectionality, and women of color feminism, among others. Anzaldúa began work on her more well-known theories prior to the publication of Borderlands/La Frontera and continued to develop these theories in her post-Borderlands/La Frontera writing, both published and unpublished. After her sudden death due to complications of diabetes in 2004, Anzaldúa’s literary estate was housed in the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas, Austin in 2005.
Wilhelm Wundt: Psychology and Philosophy in Interaction
Authors: Araujo Saulo de Freitas
Published: November 2019

Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920) is one of the most famous names in the history of psychology. After passing into oblivion for nearly 60 years, in recent decades he has been celebrated in general psychology textbooks as the founding father of scientific psychology. However, this traditional portrait is incomplete and can lead to misunderstandings, as his psychological program is primarily understood in terms of experimental psychology.

In order to complete this traditional picture, two aspects of his work must be emphasized and clarified: the role of Völkerpsychologie as the counterpart of experimental or individual psychology, and the interaction between his psychological program and his philosophical project. The ultimate meaning of Wundt’s conception of scientific psychology cannot be understood in isolation from his broader philosophical goals. Reading Wundt from the point of view of such interaction offers a deeper understanding of his work.
Archaeology of Colonial Settlement at the Cape
Authors: Malan Antonia
Published: November 2019

Colonial settlement at the southern tip of Africa was pre-dated by 150 years of occasional encounters with European mariners. They touched on the coast to refresh water barrels, barter for meat with the local pastoralists, and repair their crafts, or in some cases found themselves wrecked and desperate on the shores of the “Cape of Storms.” It became the “Cape of Good Hope” after fleets of European ships profiteered from the sea route to the resources of India and Asia, among them the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British.

The formal date for permanent foreign occupation of the Cape is 1652, when a Dutch East India Company (VOC, the Company) force anchored in Table Bay and, with some basic tools, materials, and supplies, set up camp.

After the decline and bankruptcy of the VOC in the late 18th century, a brief military occupation by the British (1795–1802), and an interim Dutch (“Batavian”) administration (1803–1806), the Cape became a British colony. By 1820 the Cape Colony stretched northward as far as the Orange River, and eastward to the Fish and Tugela rivers. Colonial settlement expanded with the arrival of traders, pastoralists, missionaries, and emigrants and created volatile zones in which settlers and African hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, and farmers contested with one another over land and resources. The colonial project continued into the later 19th century, spurred by the discovery of gold and diamonds far inland where independent Boer republics and Griqua states had been established. British imperialism and the lure of mineral wealth led to wars of annexation. Following the Second South African (“Anglo-Boer”) War (1899–1902) and subsequent attempts to reunify the country, in 1910 the “Union of South Africa” became a self-governing dominion within the British Empire, gaining formal independence in 1934.

Thus, colonial settlement at the Cape covers a 250-year period and a vast area (roughly equivalent to the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape Provinces, and parts of North West Province). From an archaeological perspective, studies encompass the city of Cape Town and sites fanning out from there chronologically and spatially, such as grazing grounds, military outposts, the towns and villages of the coast and hinterland, arable and pastoral farms, sites of conflict and interaction, missions, and mines.
Sovereign Debt: Theory
Authors: Yue Vivian Zhanwei , Wei Bin
Published: November 2019

This article reviews the literature on sovereign debt, that is, debt issued by a national government. The defining characteristic of sovereign debt is the limited mechanisms for enforcement. Because a sovereign government does not face legal consequences of default, the reasons why it makes repayment are to avoid default penalties related to reputation loss or economic cost. Theoretical and quantitative studies on sovereign debt have investigated the cause and impact of sovereign default and produced analysis of policy relevance. This article reviews the theories that quantitatively account for key empirical facts about sovereign debt. These studies enable researchers and policy makers to better understand sovereign debt crises.
Economic History of Ming-Qing and Modern China
Authors: Deng Kent
Published: November 2019

The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) marked in the long history of China a period of cultural, political, demographic, and economic renaissance, after less than a century (1271–1368) of rule by the alien Mongol conquerors from the steppes. The wealth of the Ming Empire attracted European traders and missionaries with whom foreign silver, crops, and knowledge flowed into the country at unprecedented speed. Meanwhile, the Ming Empire reached out to the Indian Ocean with the largest armada in the world at the time.

The Ming rule was ended by a military takeover by Manchu mercenaries who did not return to Manchuria after helping the Ming authorities crack down on a rebellion, an important factor that ultimately dictated the behavior of the Qing state (1644–1911). The main institutions and policies of the Ming remained intact, and in 1712 the Qing state voluntarily capped its total tax revenue, a Confucian gesture to gain legitimacy, which marked a major step toward a withering state whereby the tax burden became lighter and consequently state control over the population and territory became weaker. At the beginning, the waning state produced some positive outcomes: both farmland and population multiplied, and domestic and foreign trade were prosperous. The Qing economy outperformed that of the Ming and became one of the largest in the world by 1800, with a decent standard of living.

Even so, a withering state was a time bomb. The unintended consequences of the weakening state loomed large. Externally, the empire did not have the ability to prevent the invasion of foreign bullies. From 1840 to 1900, China lost all five wars it fought with foreign forces. Internally, unrest swept the empire from 1860 to 1880. Imperial order and tranquility was replaced by anarchy, a rather logical outcome of a withering state. To a great extent the benefits of growth during the Qing rule had been lost by the second half of the 19th century.

Meanwhile, fully aware of the root cause of the problem, the Qing elite sought solutions to save the empire from within. This led to a more open approach to foreign aid, loans, and technology, known as the “Westernization Movement” (c. 1860–1880). This movement marked the beginning of state-led modernization in China.

The path of modernization in China was, however, rugged. It began with the ideal of “Chinese knowledge as the foundation and Western learning for utility” (until 1949), then proceeded to “Russian (Soviet) ideology as the foundation and Russian (Soviet) learning for utility” (1949–1976), and then to “Russian (Soviet) ideology as the foundation and Western learning for utility” in the post-Mao era (1977–present day). With such a swing, the performance of China’s growth and development fluctuated, sometimes violently.
Eastern Europe–US Relations
Authors: Domber Gregory F.
Published: November 2019

American policy makers have rarely elevated Eastern Europe to the pinnacle of American grand strategy. The United States’ and Eastern Europe’s histories, however, are intertwined through the exchange of people and shared experiences. In the Age of Revolution, Eastern Europeans traveled to the United States to fight for the same causes they championed at home: to break from imperial control and expand the rights of man. At the end of the 19th century, “New Immigrants” from Eastern Europe streamed into America’s expanding cities. When countries in the region have moved to the forefront of American concerns during specific crises, Eastern European interests were regularly deemed secondary to larger American geopolitical interests. This holds true for the settlement of World War I, the conclusion of World War II, and the entirety of the Cold War. Overall, including Eastern Europeans and Eastern Europe in the history of the United States provides essential nuance and texture to broader patterns in American relations and more often than not provides evidence of the limitations of American power as it is altered by competing powers and local conditions.
The Vietnam War
Authors: Gawthorpe Andrew J.
Published: November 2019

From 1965 to 1973, the United States attempted to prevent the absorption of the non-Communist state of South Vietnam by Communist North Vietnam as part of its Cold War strategy of containment. In doing so, the United States had to battle both the North Vietnamese military and guerrillas indigenous to South Vietnam. The Johnson administration entered the war without a well-thought-out strategy for victory, and the United States quickly became bogged down in a bloody stalemate. A major Communist assault in 1968 known as the Tet Offensive convinced US leaders of the need to seek a negotiated solution. This task fell to the Nixon administration, which carried on peace talks while simultaneously seeking ways to escalate the conflict and force North Vietnam to make concessions. Eventually it was Washington that made major concessions, allowing North Vietnam to keep its forces in the South and leaving South Vietnam in an untenable position. US troops left in 1973 and Hanoi successfully invaded the South in 1975. The two Vietnams were formally unified in 1976.

The war devastated much of Vietnam and came at a huge cost to the United States in terms of lives, resources, and political division at home. It gave birth to the largest mass movement against a war in US history, motivated by opposition both to conscription and to the damage that protesters perceived the war was doing to the United States. It also raised persistent questions about the wisdom of both military intervention and nation-building as tools of US foreign policy. The war has remained a touchstone for national debate and partisan division even as the United States and Vietnam moved to normalize diplomatic relations with the end of the Cold War.
Mystics, Shamans, and Visionary Arts
Authors: Balzer Marjorie Mandelstam
Published: November 2019

Diverse theories and cases are associated with artistic expression attributed to mystical experience. To showcase variety as well as underlying commonalties, the intersecting experiences of mystics, shamans, and visionary arts builds on understanding shamanic altered consciousness in multiple time periods, attunement to nature manifest through art and sacred sites, and modernist impulses beginning in the 20th century. Cases range from prehistoric cave paintings of Chauvet and Lascaux to contemporary shamanic rituals of Siberia, from oracles, amphitheaters, and firewalking in Ancient Greece to the calendrical mysteries of Egypt, Stonehenge, Crete, and Mesoamerica. The cosmology-saturated paintings of Wassily Kandinsky and the mystical mountains of Nicholas Roerich can be productively juxtaposed, since these artists created resonating movements of global followers. For deeper analysis, insights of artists, including poets and epic singers, into their creative processes can be combined with analytical literature on spirituality and visionary arts.

Focus on roots of shamanic consciousness and on cases selected from cultural anthropology and art history shifts analysis away from famous examples of religious art within organized religions. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian mystical traditions should be celebrated, but not at the expense of fluid and open-minded definitions of spirituality in the arts. This shifted gaze enables some conventional distinctions to be dissolved, for example, that between “art for art’s sake” and art that may result in individual and communal healing. In some interactive contexts of mystical artistic expression, distinctions between artists and their perceivers may also dissolve. In sum, mysticism and art are “eye of the beholder” phenomena. Experiences of mystics, shamans, and artists can be viewed as having significant interconnections without overgeneralizing about mysticism, shamanism, or the arts.