Different Degrees Of Intensity Research Articles

Structure of circulatory system diseases and their genetic predictors in athletes with high intensity of training and competitive load

Introduction: Morphofunctional changes of the circulatory system organs detected in athletes may remain without due attention, as clinical (phenotypic) signs of pathological abnormalities are very similar to manifestations of cardiovascular system adaptation to intensive physical loads. The aim of the study is to propose a personalized algorithm for biomedical support of professional athletes with abnormalities and diseases of the circulatory organs based on clinical and genomic data.Materials and methods: The results of in-depth medical examination (2021-2023) of 15,464 athletes who are members of Russian sports teams were analyzed. The structure of circulatory system diseases according to the codes of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10), which were included in the summary report of the last examination, was analyzed. Fifty athletes with abnormalities and diseases of the circulatory system organs, experiencing different degrees of intensity of dynamic and static loads in accordance with the Mitchell classification, were selected from the study sample for full genome sequencing and subsequent clinical interpretation of the obtained data.Results: In the study sample the number of people with pathologic conditions of the circulatory system organs amounted to 6 946 people (45 %). Mitchell classification groups had statistically significant differences with respect to the prevalence of 10 diseases of the circulatory system organs. In 50 DNA samples of professional athletes, 5 probably pathogenic variants (10%), 19 variants with uncertain clinical significance (38%), relevant to the phenotype of a monogenic disease with circulatory system organ damage, were detected.Conclusion: Molecular genetic testing is an effective tool for differential diagnostics of pathologic and adaptive changes in the organs of the circulatory system. Carrying causative genes in combination with clinical signs allows to change the tactics of medical and biological support of an athlete according to the proposed algorithm.

The effect of emotion intensity on time perception: a study with transcranial random noise stimulation

Emotional facial expressions provide cues for social interactions and emotional events can distort our sense of time. The present study investigates the effect of facial emotional stimuli of anger and sadness on time perception. Moreover, to investigate the causal role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in emotional recognition, we employed transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over OFC and tested the effect on participants’ emotional recognition as well as on time processing. Participants performed a timing task in which they were asked to categorize as “short” or “long” temporal intervals marked by images of people expressing anger, sad or neutral emotional facial expressions. In addition, they were asked to judge if the image presented was of a person expressing anger or sadness. The visual stimuli were facial emotional stimuli indicating anger or sadness with different degrees of intensity at high (80%), medium (60%) and low (40%) intensity, along with neutral emotional face stimuli. In the emotional recognition task, results showed that participants were faster and more accurate when emotional intensity was higher. Moreover, tRNS over OFC interfered with emotion recognition, which is in line with its proposed role in emotion recognition. In the timing task, participants overestimated the duration of angry facial expressions, although neither emotional intensity not OFC stimulation significantly modulated this effect. Conversely, as the emotional intensity increased, participants exhibited a greater tendency to overestimate the duration of sad faces in the sham condition. However, this tendency disappeared with tRNS. Taken together, our results are partially consistent with previous findings showing an overestimation effect of emotionally arousing stimuli, revealing the involvement of OFC in emotional distortions of time, which needs further investigation.

Читательские стратегии преодоления когнитивного диссонанса при восприятии образов персонажей в романе Б. Ю. Поплавского «Аполлон Безобразов»

The aim of the study is to determine the specifics of the mental procedures associated with the reader’s change in psychological attitude to the character’s image and resistance to imagination as alternative strategies for overcoming cognitive dissonance in the perception of the novel “Apollo Bezobrazov” by B. Yu. Poplavsky. The choice of this research material is predetermined by the fact that in this text, both strategies reveal different degrees of intensity, there are zones in which changes in the reader’s psychological attitude to the character’s image are not consistently determined, while resistance to imagination is weak. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the mediated nature of dissonance is established: it is a consequence of friction between the reader and the character’s worldview. The results showed that the reader’s cognitive dissonance is a key mechanism for the perception of B. Yu. Poplavsky’s fiction narrative, especially when focusing on the characters’ implicit internal contradictions. The reader’s cognitive empathy with the protagonist is activated by the author by manipulating narrative transitions from the narrator’s omniscient focus on the protagonist’s views from within (or internal focuses) to his direct speech.

Monitoring of Alarm Reactions of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in a Captive Population in Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Natural Park

The study analyzes red deer responses to disturbances during the day and different exposures to tourists, to establish the more appropriate times to carry out activities inside the Paneveggio deer enclosure. The alarm reactions of red deer were observed after presenting different types of visual stimuli inside and outside the fence, in order to answer some questions: Which stimuli produce the strongest reactions from the animals? Do animals differently react to stimuli presented outside and inside the fence? On which days and times are the animals more sensitive to disturbances? Are there different reactions between the males and females? The results suggest that the red deer adversely react to the disturbance at different degrees of intensity in relation to day, sex, tourist and where the stimuli are presented. It was observed that during the days with the highest tourist presence, the animals were particularly alarmed; discomfort accumulation produced the highest number of alarm reactions on Monday. For these reasons, it would be opportune to manage the pasture on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, scheduled at specific times of day, preferably far from the estimated presence of tourists.

Staphylectomy in pug bitches using ultrasonic scalpel and rhinoplasty

Brachycephalic Syndrome is a combination of anatomical and physiological abnormalities that results in the obstruction of the airways in short-snouted dogs. These animals have primary malformations such as stenotic nares and an elongated soft palate, which can lead to secondary malformations over time. Each animal can present these abnormalities with different degrees of intensity. The patient may present clinical signs such as snoring while awake and asleep, cough, choking, exercise intolerance, dysphagia, reverse sneezing, dyspnea, and cyaniasis. These abnormalities from brachycephalic syndrome are progressive and degenerative. The report aims to present the surgical techniques of a staphylectomy using an ultrasonic scalpel and rhinoplasty, used to correct respiratory syndrome in a pug canine, combined with the diagnosis and treatment of secondary respiratory alterations through laryngotracheobronchoscopy.

Changes in Immunological Parameters and Neurotrophic Factors in Patients with Compression, Post-traumatic Non-gunshot and Gunshot Neuropathies and Plexopathies

Introduction: Chronic pain, which usually occurs after traumatic damage to nerves and plexuses, is an additional burden on the patient's quality of life, which is already impaired due to motor, sensory and autonomic deficits. The aim is to study and clarify changes in immunological parameters and neurotrophic factors in patients with compression, post-traumatic non-gunshot and gunshot neuropathies and plexopathies. Materials and Methods: The study included 93 men aged 21 to 59 with neuropathy and plexopathy of traumatic and non-traumatic origin, divided into 3 groups. Patients underwent clinical and neurological examination starting at the onset of clinical manifestations and in the dynamics, electromyography, and ultrasound. The immunological examination was performed from 12 to 24 months, starting at the onset of the disease. Results: Differences between the study groups in the concentration of circulating immune complexes and lymphocytotoxicity and decrease in CD4 + T lymphocytes were statistically significant. In the NBT-test results, which characterize the difference between spontaneous and zymosan-stimulated oxygen-dependent phagocytosis, it was found that the cells oxidized granules of nitroblue tetrazolium dye with different degrees of intensity, depending on the regenerative capacity of enzymes. We found an increase in the quantitative content of the beta-NGF 303 [35.2; 504.5] pg/ml in the blood of patients of group III with post-traumatic gunshot neuropathies and plexopathies accompanied by chronic neuropathic pain syndrome at a statistically significant level (Kruskal-Wallis test, p=0.0181). Conclusion: The study showed a statistically significant (p<0.05) violations of the regulatory link of immune system in patients with post-traumatic gunshot neuropathies and plexopathies, increased circulating immune complexes level, disorders of oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent phagocytosis, reduced enzymatic regenerative capacity, significant increase in beta-NGF, Thus, as a result of the study, we found statistically significant (p<0.05) violations of the regulatory link of immune system in patients with post-traumatic gunshot neuropathies and plexopathies, increased circulating immune complexes level, disorders of oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent phagocytosis, reduced enzymatic regenerative capacity, significant increase in beta-NGF 303 [35.2; 504.5] pg / ml, indicating the ongoing process of chronic inflammation, stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and sensory fibers, which leads to the maintenance and severity of chronic neuropathic pain even after 12 months or more since the injury with damage to nerves and plexuses of the limbs.

Students’ mathematics-related belief systems and their strategies for solving non-routine mathematical problems

This study explored students’ mathematics-related beliefs and the relationship between the beliefs and their strategies for solving non-routine mathematical problems. The study was guided by Daskalogianni and Simpson’s 2001 belief systems categories and strategies for non-routine mathematical problems. The participants were 625 grade 11 students from five high schools in Tshwane North District, Gauteng province of South Africa. Data were collected using a mathematics beliefs questionnaire, a mathematics problem-solving test and interview. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used for data analysis. It was found that the students held all the three belief systems (utilitarian, systematic and exploratory) at different degrees of intensity and the belief systems and strategies for problem-solving had a weak positive linear relationship, and there were no statistically significant differences among mean scores of the students holding systematic, exploratory and utilitarian beliefs. They apply unsystematic guess, check and revise; systematic guess, check and revise; systematic listing; looking for patterns; consider a simple case; modelling; logical reasoning; no logical reasoning; trial-and-error and use a formula in solving non-routine mathematical problems. Furthermore, it was found that the systematic belief system could explain the students’ behaviour in problem-solving more than the exploratory and utilitarian belief systems.

Preclinical study of pharmacokinetic ADME processes of phenosanic acid <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>

BACKGROUND: Phenosanic acid is a synthetic antioxidant, the active ingredient of the original domestic drug recommended for the treatment of epilepsy. To improve the effectiveness and safety of the use of phenosanoic acid, additional study of its pharmacokinetic properties is necessary.
 AIM: To study the pharmacokinetic parameters of the active ingredient of the drug Dibufelon, capsule 200 mg (LLC Piq-Pharma, Russia) in vitro and in vivo systems in rats after single administration in one dose.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: Phenosanic acid binding to blood plasma proteins, microsomal stability and permeability through the monolayer of Caco-2 cells were evaluated in in vitro tests. The pharmacokinetics parameters were studied after a single intragastric administration in Wistar rats in dose of 80 mg/kg. The samples were analyzed by HPLC-UV.
 RESULTS: A high variability in the degree of binding of phenosanic acid to blood plasma proteins by 2065% depending on the concentration was revealed, relatively high microsomal stability (half-life 1106 789 min, internal clearance 2.05 0.86 l/min/mg protein of liver microsome; residual content after 60 min incubation 87.9 7.8%) and the ability to penetrate through the monolayer of cells Caco-2. The rapid absorbtion of the substance into the systemic bloodstream was established its maximum concentration in blood plasma was observed already 3.6 1.2 hours after administration, and its slow removal from the systemic bloodstream the half-life was about 19 h, the average retention time was about 29 h. Phenosanic acid with different degrees of intensity was distributed to all the examined organs and tissues: kidneys liver brain omentum muscle, and invariably excreted in a small amount with urine and feces, about 0.04% and 5.5%, respectively.
 CONCLUSIONS: As a result of the study, it was found that phenosanic acid is characterized by rapid absorbtion into the systemic bloodstream and a long stay in it invariably, which may be due to the peculiarities of its binding to blood plasma proteins and relatively high metabolic stability, revealed during the corresponding in vitro tests. The study of the permeability and transport of phenosanic acid showed that it can presumably be attributed to compounds with medium permeability and is not a substrate for the transport protein P-glycoprotein (P-gp). The study of tissue availability of phenosanic acid confirmed its entry into peripheral tissues, including the brain, which is the area of implementation of the anticonvulsant effect.

The impact of positive psychology on EFL trainee teachers’ views on their well-being in the pandemic

The pandemic that took us all by surprise and occurred across the world with different degrees of intensity resulted in the situation where there is an urgent need to develop coping strategies that would minimize the damage of lockdown and being left at the mercy of technology in our professional lives. This article demonstrates how my students, future teachers of English at the BA level, reacted to the pandemic and how the course they were participating in impacted their well-being. The course in question is positive psychology in TEFL, a part of TEFL methodology module. It is introduced in the programme of studies as an innovative and individualized approach to teaching a foreign language. But in fact, it offers much more as positive psychology is a whole new attitude to one’s life: “One of the main pillars of positive psychology is the role our emotions (affectivity) play in various con-texts of life; thus this is also true of the language classroom” (Gabryś-Barker 2021: 187). Positive psychology also emphasizes the role of our strengths and weaknesses and the impact of the so-called enabling institutions (such as schools, universities) (Seligman 2002, MacIntyre et al. 2016). The students’ reflections are gathered on the basis of narrative inquiry and as such they are analyzed according to the frame-work of qualitative content analysis.

European Governments' Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic during the First Wave: Resetting Governance Systems to Cope More Effectively with Future Shocks.

The emergence of the current global crisis induced by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic brings about an urgent need to rethink and reshape recovery strategies adapted to this specific challenging context. Neglecting this reconfiguration could lead to system lockdown, affecting all sectors, both on medium and long term. The coronavirus has penetrated various countries with different degrees of intensity, thus being spatially diversified; even within the same country, with the same lockdown measures, an enormous variety in cases is encountered. Subsequently, even if crises may manifest heterogeneously and the long-term impact of implementing recovery policies cannot be accurately known ex ante by governments, institutions could adapt themselves to changing circumstances and respond promptly and appropriately to emerging shocks only if their functioning framework had been well set up by the outbreak of the crisis. Considering these aspects, the main questions that this paper aims to answer are: How effective have governmental measures in European countries been in combating the COVID-19 crisis?; Could the solutions offered by the European states’ governments have an influence on diminishing the intensity of negative effects of a possible more serious return of this health crisis? What more could national authorities and international actors do to control the epidemiological evolution of SARS-CoV-2? Is a generic European Union policy helpful or should there be a case for local policy? Based on these issues, a comprehensive picture of the differences between the East and the West of Europe in terms of some medical, socio-economic, institutional and cultural factors will be outlined, in order to emphasize which of the two groups better-handled the COVID-19 situation in the first wave, covering the lockdown period (March 1, 2020 – June 1, 2020) and the relaxation period (June 1, 2020 – September 1, 2020); at the same time, some policy recommendations on how governments should more effectively manage future similar crises to generate a higher resilience of the systems will be provided.

Tempo-Spatial Modelling of the Spread of COVID-19 in Urban Spaces.

The relationship between the social structure of urban spaces and the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic is becoming increasingly evident. Analyzing the socio-spatial structure in relation to cases may be one of the keys to explaining the ways in which this contagious disease and its variants spread. The aim of this study is to propose a set of variables selected from the social context and the spatial structure and to evaluate the temporal spread of infections and their different degrees of intensity according to social areas. We define a model to represent the relationship between the socio-spatial structure of the urban space and the spatial distribution of pandemic cases. We draw on the theory of social area analysis and apply multivariate analysis techniques to check the results in the urban space of the city of Malaga (Spain). The proposed model should be considered capable of explaining the functioning of the relationships between societal structure, socio-spatial segregation, and the spread of the pandemic. In this paper, the study of the origins and consequences of COVID-19 from different scientific perspectives is considered a necessary approach to understanding this phenomenon. The personal and social consequences of the pandemic have been exceptional and have changed many aspects of social life in urban spaces, where it has also had a greater impact. We propose a geostatistical analysis model that can explain the functioning of the relationships between societal structure, socio-spatial segregation, and the temporal evolution of the pandemic. Rather than an aprioristic theory, this paper is a study by the authors to interpret the disparity in the spread of the pandemic as shown by the infection data.

Enhancing The SME’s Employee Careers Development: The Role of Organizational Learning

An organization can grow quickly if it has a good knowledge culture. Employees are organizational assets that need their career development. Career development can only be ensured if the organization has a learning culture. This study examines and analyzes Employee Career Development through Organizational Learning Culture, Career Planning, and Career Management. This research was conducted on MSME employees with 259 respondents who gave answers collected from 60 MSMEs in the city of Banjarmasin. Data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS software. The study results found that there was a direct positive relationship between variables with different degrees of intensity. Empirically the four hypotheses have been proven, as well as there is a positive indirect relationship between the variables, proving the fifth hypothesis.

A eficácia dos tratamentos para a dor neuropática

The neuropathic pain is a type of chronic pain that arises from an injury or disease of the somatosensory nervous system, central or peripheral origin. It is a heterogeneous range of pain syndromes, with different pathophysiological mechanisms and different degrees of intensity of signs and symptoms. As a result, there are several therapeutic resources, whether they are pharmacological, physical or cognitive, and obstacles to an adequate and effective treatment. From the advances in therapy alone, only a minority of patients achieve significant pain relief. To analyze available treatments for neuropathic pain and present the best pharmacological options. A literature review was carried out, using the descriptors "pain", "neuropathy", "treatment". The database used was PUBMED, with filters for full free text, systematic review and meta-analysis, from 2016 to 2021. This review found that there is evident efficacy when using gabapentin and pregabalin to relieve neuropathic pain. These drugs are neuromodulators of the antidepressant class, and both showed greater improvement than the placebo group. In addition, the use of vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) and acupuncture was also shown to be effective, but on a smaller scale and with a longer treatment time. Studies on the treatment of neuropathic pain have increased over the years, which allows us to think about significant advances in the future. Currently, drugs such as Pregabalin and Gabapentin are used, or non-pharmacological methods such as acupuncture. Therefore, greater attention should be given to studies on treatments for this disease, aiming at the patient's well-being.

Acute Kidney Injury After Open Heart Surgery.

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a term used to describe when the kidney loses its function rapidly. And it’s associated with an increase in the level of serum creatinine by 0.5 to 1mg/dL. It can be diagnosed by a plethora of criteria such as the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) and the Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-stage (RIFLE) criteria. Cardiac surgery-associated AKI (CSA-AKI) is the most prevalent complication in patients following cardiac surgery and is also linked to increased mortality and morbidity rates. In addition, exogenous and endogenous toxins, ischemia and reperfusion, inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolic factors, and neurohormonal activation may all play a role in the development of CSA-AKI. All these factors may be active at varying time intervals and with different degrees of intensity, or may function simultaneously. Methods: In late 2019, a retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the health data of patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valvular repairs, and other open cardiac surgeries at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between November 2014 and June 2019. Information was obtained from the Hospital information system, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Of the 159 patients who underwent open-heart surgery at KAUH, 126 (79.2%) were male and 33 (20.8%) were female. Patients below 15 years of age and those with poor renal function prior to open cardiac surgery were excluded. The KDIGO criteria were used to diagnose AKI for our patients.Results: In this study, 34% of the patients experienced AKI after open cardiac surgery, and the most frequent risk factor encountered was diabetes mellitus (DM), which was present in 97 (61%) patients, followed by angina pectoris in 93 (58.5%) patients. Hypertension was identified in 85 (53.5%) and acute myocardial infarction in 82 (51.6%) patients. There were only two (1.3%) patients with known cases of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Of the surgeries, 131 (82.4%) were classified as elective and 28 (17.6%) were urgent.Conclusion: The most common risk factor associated with AKI following open-heart surgery is DM, followed by angina pectoris. However, further studies are required to investigate all the cardiac procedures.

Detailed analysis and characterization of Subjective Assessment Indicators of manual and automated parking maneuvers

This paper presents a detailed analysis and characterization of Subjective Assessment Indicators for evaluating manual as well as fully automatic parking maneuvers. Parking is a huge challenge for many drivers. With the introduction of autonomous driving, parking maneuver assistants are essential functional components. For the development of automatic parking assistants, a detailed characterization of a subjective evaluation is essential. The characterization analysis presented here is based on general Subjective Assessment Indicators, which cover the subjective overall performance of a parking maneuver on a customer-oriented level in as many facets as necessary. This paper shows meaningful characteristics of the individual Subjective Assessment Indicators validated in a driving study with 497 performed parking maneuvers. The study results reveal different degrees of intensity of the characterizations for the different driving maneuvers. Here, it is shown that the characterization of the Final Parking Position has different reference points for longitudinal and lateral parking maneuvers. Furthermore, it was shown that an additional characteristic “Driving-Off Behavior” is required for the evaluation of the Safety Feeling, but for Parking Comfort the “Lateral Acceleration” and for Dynamic Performance the “Distance Traveled” can be neglected. The characteristics described in this paper can be used for all parking maneuvers and vehicle types. It forms the basis for a complete evaluation and enables OEMs to apply their individual requirements in the development of parking assistants.

The feasibility of using immunocytochemical research in the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid tumors

Background. Thyroid cancer has long been an urgent problem of health care in Ukraine and requires both improved timely detection of the disease and increased coverage by special treatment of this category of patients to improve its results. Objective. Investigate the complex of immunocytochemical and ultrasound characteristics of thyroid tumors to improve diagnostic algorithms in the preanalytical stage. Methods. During the the research work the results of diagnostics of 60 patients with thyroid neoplasms aged 21 to 83 years who underwent fine-needle aspiration. Patients were divided into three groups according to the Bethesda System (BSRTC) classification category. The 1st group included 18 patients of category II BSRTC (Benign. Group 2 included 20 patients with category V BSRTC (Suspicious for Malignancy – SFM). And other 22 patients with category VI BSRTC (malignant tumor) formed the 3rd group). Patients of all groups underwent questionnaires, ultrasound examination with FNA, cytological and immunocytochemical examination. Results. There is no clear link between E-cadherin expression and neoplasia. Negative expression occurred in 36.4% of cases of metastatic lesions. This partially satisfies the requirements of timely preoperative diagnosis. That is why E-cadherin cannot be used as a separate marker. The expression of cytokeratin-19 with different degrees of intensity of cytoplasmic staining of tumor cells was determined in all studied neoplasms of V and VI category on the BSRTC scale. Strong expression of cytokeratin-19 was observed in 40.0% of cases with BSRTC-5 and 45.4% with BSRTC-6, moderate - in 50.0% and 36.4% of cases, respectively, weak - in 10.0% and 18.2%, without significant differences between groups (p> 0.05). At the same time, in the benign process in 55.6% of cases there was no reaction of cytokeratin-19, and in 44.4% - weak expression (p <0.001 in comparison with the 2nd and 3rd groups). Conclusion. Benign thyroid disease (category II BSRTC) is likely to be associated with younger patients (46.6 ± 3.7 years), low serum REA (less than 0.95 ng / ml), poor thyroglobulin expression (77.8 %), negative reaction with TTF-1 (100%) and cytokeratin-19 (55.6%). Differential-prognostic markers of thyroid cancer with risk of malignancy (V category BSRTC) include elevated serum REA (0.95 ng / ml and above), the presence of a moderate reaction with antibodies to thyroglobulin (80.0%), a positive reaction - to TTF-1 (100.0%) and E-cadherin (90.0%), with moderate or strong expression of cytokeratin-19 (90.0%).

Linear features on karst surfaces: an example from Krk Island

Krk Island located in the Dinaric karst is characterized by somehow contradictory, yet undefined depressions of linear geometry. A comprehensive spatial analysis considering over 900 linear features has served as a testing ground for revealing the specific circumstances required for the occurrence of linear morphology on the surface of rather pure karst typically characterized by dolines. Morphologic characteristics, spatial distribution and direct field evidence imply that linear features of different appearance are the outcome of, to the different stages reshaped, karstified, lithologic and tectonic structures. Due to specific regional climate conditions, they have been subsequently modified by the sporadic, fluvial processes of different degrees of intensity. Recently, such linear features hold dry valley- or dry gorge-like appearance. This example from the Dinarides gives the insight into possible circumstances that may cause a temporal surface runoff and consequentially result in the existence of an apparent fluvial surface morphology even in rather pure karst conditions. This knowledge is valuable for understanding other karst areas expressing temporal fluvial activity or imprints of past fluvial processes.

The limits of demographic buffering in coping with environmental variation

Animal populations have developed multiple strategies to deal with environmental change. Among them, the demographic buffering strategy consists in constraining the temporal variation of the vital rate(s) that most affect(s) the overall performance of the population. Tortoises are known to buffer their temporal variation in adult survival, which typically has the highest contribution to the population growth rate λ, at the expense of a high variability on reproductive rates, which contribute far less to λ. To identify the effects of projected increases in droughts in its natural habitat, we use field data collected across 15 locations of Testudo graeca in southeast Spain over a decade. We analyse the effects of environmental variables on reproduction rates. In addition, we couple the demographic and environmental data to parameterise an integral projection model to simulate the effects of different scenarios of drought recurrence on λ under different degrees of intensity in the survival–reproduction tradeoff. We find that droughts negatively affect the probability of laying eggs; however, the overall effects on λ under the current drought recurrence (one/decade) are negligible when survival is constant (independent of the reduction of reproduction by drought events) and when survival increased as a tradeoff with the reduction of reproduction rates, with a threshold to population viability at three or more droughts/decade. Additionally, we show that, although some species may buffer current environmental regimes by carefully orchestrating how their vital rates vary through time, a demographic buffering strategy is insufficient to ensure population viability in extreme regimes. Our findings support the hypothesis that the demographic buffering strategy has a limit of effectiveness when adverse conditions occur frequently. Our methodological approach provides a framework for ecologists to determine how effective the management of environmental drivers can be for demographically buffering populations, and which scenarios may not provide long‐term population persistence.

Emphatic Sentences: A Comparative-Translational Study of Formal-Functional Relations in English and Romanian

Emphasis, a well-acknowledged stylistic device, is a carrier of a considerable load of emotional content in the fictional dialogue. Its manifestation can take sundry forms and can be attached to a wide range of feelings and can take different degrees of intensity, all of which determines the creation of the atmosphere and impacts the reception by the readership. This paper reports on the investigation of the occurrence of emphasis embedded in the dialogic utterances of John Fowles’ novel Mantissa. The focus lies on the relation between the formal construction of emphatic sentences and the functional values deriving therefrom. The study entails a comparative analysis of emphatic utterances depicted from the English original text and its translation into Romanian. The three research questions refer to the comparative-contrastive realization of emphatic sentences in the two languages, to the extent to which the functional component succeeds in being transferred to the target language and to possible means of compensation when structural differences pose translational problems. The analysis is structured along a typology of sentences adapted to the nature of the text under scrutiny and to the aims of this study. The findings and conclusions ultimately indicate the importance of establishing a relation between form and function in matter of emphasis in the literary dialogue as an act of communication depending on linguistic devices for its effectiveness.

The division of Ireland and its foes: The centenary of resistance to partition

AbstractCritics of partition argue that it contributes to the perpetuation, rather than the amelioration, of territorial conflict. This paper engages with the theoretical debates on partition, focusing on the particular and illustrative case of Ireland. The island has been partitioned into two polities for a century. Opposition to the partition of Ireland has existed from the outset to the contemporary Brexit context. The argument is that while hostility to partition has experienced different forms, namely, political and violent and different degrees of intensity, there is a historical continuum of contestation against partition in Ireland. While the territorial issue was calmed by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Brexit has reanimated the border question, providing political momentum for those who aim to challenge the territorial status quo.