Large-scale Catastrophes Research Articles

Highlighting Community and Identity through an Online Interior Architecture Studio Project: Ambassador’s Residence Project

Within the confines of the COVID-19 pandemic, design educators were required to revisit tried and true ways of teaching and create original ways to connect with their students. In this paper, the aim is to achieve the sense of global interiors community in online teaching regarding teaching methods as well as project topics. Moreover, various means by which an enhanced studio experience may be provided is investigated. The year-long project with a focus on “concept building”, benefited from a variety of approaches and resources that is believed to enrich the overall experience. One of the first aims was to enable a sense of connection and community at a time of detachment. This was achieved in a number of ways; the first step was through requiring students to work in teams of two. The second step was to use the opportunities of online education to the full extent. In this sense, both national and international guests were invited to the studio for lectures and critiques. Lastly, on special days such as the IFI (International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers) World Interiors Day and juries, both national and international guests were invited to the studio to share experiences with students that were shared on international platforms. Through an ambassador’s residence project, second-year interior architecture students were able to experience aspects of their profession in an international environment. An enriched experience both in terms of structure and content was aimed to be achieved and the projects reflected these aims. The selected projects portrayed in the paper answer the requirements in full, are parallel to the context, and reflect the key criteria of the project. A questionnaire was applied to the participating students to gather deeper insight into their studio experience. Limitations include the number of participant students, and thus, further studies may include larger groups of students, national and international comparisons of experiences as well as studio output. Despite the large-scale catastrophe, findings show the benefits of increased online interiors community activity in the experience of the students as well as being reflected positively to their projects. These events have also benefited the instructors’ connection to the studio. Overall, the interior design studio is a dynamic environment that needs constant research into its pedagogy, content, and overall experience, as the educational environment moves swiftly to online direction.

Redefining Apocalypse in Blake Studies

Michael Stone argues that biblical scholars sow confusion by defining the ancient apocalypses in terms of the eschatological content or worldview that many contain (their “apocalypticism”) at the expense of other defining features. This conflation of apocalypse with eschatology emerged with the first comprehensive study of the apocalypses, by the German theologian Friedrich Lücke in 1832. The problem has been exacerbated in our time by the ubiquitous use of the term “apocalypse” in the media, popular culture, the churches, the arts, academe, and environmental studies, which has all but emptied the term of its core meaning as “revelation” or “disclosure.” When “the apocalypse” is invoked, it most often refers to a large-scale catastrophe or cataclysm, usually involving the collapse of civilization or the end of the world. Such references comport better with the concept of eschatology, the study of last things or the “end” of history, than with apocalypse. The terminological confusion appears in the history of Blake criticism as well, from S. Foster Damon, through Northrop Frye, Harold Bloom, and Morton Paley, to more recent work by Steven Goldsmith and Lucy Cogan. It is marked by an uncritical and inconsistent use of “apocalyptic” or “the apocalypse” to refer primarily to an end-time judgment. A scholar who has resisted this critical conflation in both biblical and Blake criticism is Christopher Rowland, who wrote the landmark book The Open Heaven: A Study of Apocalyptic in Judaism and Early Christianity (1982), as well as Blake and the Bible (2010). Rowland, along with a burgeoning cadre of biblical scholars who address the issue, can help bring more precision to the way these concepts are used in Blake studies.

Longitudinal and transcultural assessment of the relationship between hallucinogens, well-being, and post-traumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of the global population. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal transcultural study that was begun at the peak of the pandemic (in April, 2020). An online survey was used to collect data from English-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-speaking participants. The survey collected information about sociodemographics, lifestyle activities, COVID-19-related circumstances, and drug use (with an emphasis on hallucinogenic drugs), as well as involving psychometric questionnaires. Users of hallucinogenic drugs had higher psychological well-being and lower scores on psychopathology scales, both at baseline and during follow-ups. This difference was larger when users were distinguished by frequency of use, as regular users scored higher on psychological well-being and lower on psychopathology scales. Subjects with more psychological distress had lower scores for all scales of post-traumatic growth, but if they were regular hallucinogens users, they had higher scores for post-traumatic growth. When comparing the results between cultural contexts, heterogeneous results were obtained. There were more English-speaking regular users of hallucinogenic drugs. Further research should analyse the potential role of hallucinogens in large-scale catastrophes, with a special focus on post-traumatic growth.

Social protection in times of plague and beyond

Introduction: As historically verified, countries with comprehensive, well designed social protection systems in place are better prepared to cope with large scale catastrophes of all kinds, always in such situation there is still a need for government interventions other than social protection and larger scale discretionary social protection or related interventions.Objective: The article presents the actions of countries to minimize the negative social effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The text is an attempt to answer how social security systems should be adapted to aforementioned crisis?Materials and methods: The text uses research methods such as: literature criticism and statistical analysis of data and revision of implemented state intervention policies based on reports of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, International Labour Organizaton, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions and International Monetary Fund.Results: 1) For social security institutions of key importance to ensure continuity of operations of all services of contributory social insurance as well of social assistance - was to ensure continuous payment of all benefits due and quick response to the new entitlement emerging. It is also necessary to ensure that all citizens are fully insured, regardless of the form of contract under which they perform work.2) In many countries, special emergency measures that extended coverage and increased benefits were taken by governments without clearly identifying the sources of funding and very often burdening social security funds with non-statutory expenses and affecting their long-term financial sustainability.3) In the longer run, there is a need to ensure universal health care coverage of the adequate quality, there is a need to develop policies which will secure at least minimum income security to all independently of their labour market status, forms of employment, sex, ethnicity or nationality.

Business grants following natural disasters and their different impact on the performance of female and male-owned microenterprises: Evidence from Sri Lanka.

This paper investigates gender differences in the treatment effects of business grants on firm performance following natural disasters, and seeks to identify the mechanisms underlying the unequal effects. A panel data-set from an experiment in Sri Lanka is used to measure the difference in the treatment effects of a business grant on the performance of female and male-owned firms following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The sample of 608 microenterprises includes 297 female-owned firms and 311 male-owned firms. There are 338 firms (Male = 176, Female = 162) in the treatment group that received the grant and 270 firms (Male = 135, Female = 135) in the control group that did not receive the grant. Data on firm performance, firm characteristics and owner characteristics were collected in 13 survey waves from April 2005 to December 2010. Firm performance, which is measured by firm profit, is assessed by employing linear regression with fixed effects in an intention-to-treat analysis. The results suggest that the business grant has a positive impact on the performance of male-owned firms, but zero effect on that of female-owned firms. Several potential mechanisms drive the results, including gender differences in business investment, household expenditure and initial business closures. The results also show a positive treatment effect of the business grant on the psychological recovery of recipients, but there is no evidence supporting gender differences in this dimension. This paper provides new evidence on gender differences in the treatment effects of business grants on firm performance in the context of post-disasters, and has implications for business recovery programs aimed at supporting female microentrepreneurs in the aftermath of large-scale catastrophes.

CytoRADx: A High-Throughput, Standardized Biodosimetry Diagnostic System Based on the Cytokinesis-Block Micronucleus Assay.

In a large-scale catastrophe, such as a nuclear detonation in a major city, it will be crucial to accurately diagnose large numbers of people to direct scarce medical resources to those in greatest need. Currently no FDA-cleared tests are available to diagnose radiation exposures, which can lead to complex, life-threatening injuries. To address this gap, we have achieved substantial advancements in radiation biodosimetry through refinement and adaptation of the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay as a high throughput, quantitative diagnostic test. The classical CBMN approach, which quantifies micronuclei (MN) resulting from DNA damage, suffers from considerable time and expert labor requirements, in addition to a lack of universal methodology across laboratories. We have developed the CytoRADx™ System to address these drawbacks by implementing a standardized reagent kit, optimized assay protocol, fully automated microscopy and image analysis, and integrated dose prediction. These enhancements allow the CytoRADx System to obtain high-throughput, standardized results without specialized labor or laboratory-specific calibration curves. The CytoRADx System has been optimized for use with both humans and non-human primates (NHP) to quantify radiation dose-dependent formation of micronuclei in lymphocytes, observed using whole blood samples. Cell nuclei and resulting MN are fluorescently stained and preserved on durable microscope slides using materials provided in the kit. Up to 1,000 slides per day are subsequently scanned using the commercially based RADxScan™ Imager with customized software, which automatically quantifies the cellular features and calculates the radiation dose. Using less than 1 mL of blood, irradiated ex vivo, our system has demonstrated accurate and precise measurement of exposures from 0 to 8 Gy (90% of results within 1 Gy of delivered dose). These results were obtained from 636 human samples (24 distinct donors) and 445 NHP samples (30 distinct subjects). The system demonstrated comparable results during in vivo studies, including an investigation of 43 NHPs receiving single-dose total-body irradiation. System performance is repeatable across laboratories, operators, and instruments. Results are also statistically similar across diverse populations, considering various demographics, common medications, medical conditions, and acute injuries associated with radiological disasters. Dose calculations are stable over time as well, providing reproducible results for at least 28 days postirradiation, and for blood specimens collected and stored at room temperature for at least 72 h. The CytoRADx System provides significant advancements in the field of biodosimetry that will enable accurate diagnoses across diverse populations in large-scale emergency scenarios. In addition, our technological enhancements to the well-established CBMN assay provide a pathway for future diagnostic applications, such as toxicology and oncology.

ЛІКВІДАЦІЯ НАСЛІДКІВ ЧОРНОБИЛЬСЬКОЇ КАТАСТРОФИ 1986 р. ТА ВНЕСОК УКРАЇНСЬКИХ ВІЙСЬКОВОСЛУЖБОВЦІВ

The article analyzes the problems that arose and were solved with the participation of military units of the former Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR in the first days and months after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, largely due to the creation of a special organizational structure for troop management. The heroism and courage of the servicemen demonstrated during the liquidation of the consequences of the largest accident in nuclear energy are highlighted.Problem Statement. An accident that escalated into a large-scale catastrophe of humanitarian, environmental and economic nature. The aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster has provided Ukrainian military with invaluable experience that needs to be estimated.The Purpose lies in a comprehensive understanding of the place and significance of the Chornobyl catastrophe in the history of Ukraine and the participation of Ukrainian servicemen in the liquidation of the catastrophe.Research Methods. The following methods were used in the research process: comparative-historical and descriptive methods, content analysis and synthesis.Originality consists in the introduction into scientific circulation of new sources, highlighting the heroism and courage of the servicemen, shown in the elimination of the consequences of the greatest accident in nuclear energy.Conclusion. The echo of the Chornobyl catastrophe urges us to be vigilant. It makes us rethink that scientific and technological progress not only gives modern mankind the means to achieve the intended goals on the path of civilized progress, but also requires and allows to find fuses that provide security guarantees.And this is directly related to the worldviews formation and development, moral principles that unite people. We and the next generations must not forget the Chernobyl tragedy, which took place in a picturesque corner of Ukraine and caused many disasters for our people. This catastrophe is a warning both Ukraine and the entire international community. Mankind must draw conclusions from this experience and prevent similar catastrophes in the future.

The role of educating health-care personnel in prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of COVID-19: A narrative mini review.

Front-line clinicians and health-care workers need to be educated to provide care in critical situations such as large-scale catastrophes and pandemics. This narrative review is focused on investigating educational strategies in confrontation with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We conducted a literature search in December 2020 through LitCovid, PubMed, ERIC, and Cochrane Library in order to retrieve relevant studies regarding the role of education in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19. There were 12 reviewed studies related to this specific subject. The articles selected for this study demonstrated that education and training had a positive impact on the knowledge and attitude of the participants and also the educational interventions, whether they were simulation-based or other formats of training, would be deemed crucial for enhancing participants’ level of perceptions and confidence. Therefore, it is highly recommended that public health policymakers consider this important issue.

Education in the apocalypse: disaster and teaching on British television

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to examine educational history through television's portrayal of educational activity in post-apocalyptic society. The paper examines how and why television drama set after a catastrophe is in dialogue with, but rejects, both contemporary government discourse of “protect and survive”.Design/methodology/approachThe paper treats television programmes as historical artefacts made during periods of heightened anxiety about nuclear and bacteriological war. This paper follows established methods for interpreting educational history by examining the representation of schooling and the discursive construction of teachers and their practices via television. This paper proceeds by tight selection of sections from two texts, examining them as documentary evidence of education in later-20th-century Britain and representations of specific types of schooling that were found in real-world Britain in the period, namely, the minor public school and educational television.FindingsTelevision drama showing education during and after an apocalyptic event was a reaction to and critique of official assurances that life would continue after a large-scale catastrophe. The representations of schooling reflect the preoccupations of the writers and depict the intersection of schooling, teachers and students with contemporary anxieties in a period where global war and large-scale catastrophe were prominent fears in popular consciousness. Representations of schooling enabled a twofold critique of education. One is critique of the industrial and civil society that had called formal schooling into existence, questioning the value of what in the 1970s and 1980s was being taught in schools. The second is the subversion of the assurances contained in “disaster” education, which promised that disaster would be a temporary setback and underlying social structures and institutions would survive. This paper suggests these sources of educational history present the need to unlearn old knowledge, urge the recourse to self-teaching and question the reliance on a television to teach.Originality/valueThis paper endorses educational, historical and popular cultural research that has found meaning and importance in popular television as a reflection of actual educational practice. Efforts to educate a civilian population about civil defence have received some scholarly attention; however, so far, the way educational practice is portrayed in television that shows the end of the world as we know it has received limited attention. These sources yield valuable insights regarding the interaction between education, disaster and popular consciousness.

Change of spatial distribution in the ichiotocenosis of the shabolat estuary in the process of its anthropogenic transformation

Consequences of Shabolat estuary natural ecosystems transformation under the influence of anthropogenic factors are reflected in the composition of ichthyocenosis, changes in the basic population characteristics of the most mass species.The purpose of the work was to find out the spatial distribution of the Shabolat estuary most massive representatives of the ichthyocenosis in terms of its anthropogenic transformation.Material and methods. The material for the study was selected from industrial fishing gear in the spring, summer and autumn periods of 2009-2012. A complete biological analysis of fish (goby round, goby grass, flounder, flounder, mullet pilengas, etc.) was carried out according to the conventional method.Result. The regularities of formation of ichthyocenosis largest masses populations were studied depending on: water salinity, connection with adjacent water areas, fish acclimatization and introduction, anthropogenic loading and peculiarities of spatial distribution of ichthyocenosis largest masses populations in aquatics.The most important Shabolat estuary ichthyocomplex components include representatives of the Gobiidae family, the Platichthys luscus population and the mullet family representatives.Of particular interest to the members of the goby family are the mass species of gobies: the round goby Neogobius melanostomus and the grass goby Zosterisessor ophiocephalus, which are able to hibernate and reproduce in the estuary. This is an important link in the food chains of the reservoir. By entering into competition with other representatives of ichthyocenosis, they significantly affect the state of the forage base and production capacity of the estuary.Representatives of the mullet family and gloss flounder are distributed in the estuary deep water areas and in areas with maximum salinity.Conclusions. It has been established, that in the conditions of anthropogenic transformation of the estuary, in the last 35-40 years, the round goby and grass goby numbers and distribution range have decreased. In bulk, they have survived only in reservoir small, local areas, due to the deterioration of reproduction conditions and the degradation of the zoster and reddest associations. The main reasons for the decline in the size and distribution range of gobies in the Shabolatsky estuary was their mass death as a result of a large-scale environmental catastrophe and reproduction conditions deterioration. The reason for the significant decrease in the flounder and mullet number and distribution range was the mass death in 1992, as well as changes in the salinity of the Shabolat estuary

Assessment of large-scale catastrophes in complex engineering systems

The paper considers a traditional approach to ensuring safety of complex technical system that is based on development of protection barriers against the bounding set of credible (design-basis) impacts and presents a modern approach. The approach is based on combined efforts to improve the system protection from design basis impacts and to increases the system resilience towards beyond design basis events allowing one to include low probability –high consequences (beyond design-basis) events into the scope of risk assessment and management framework

Family-size variability grows with collapse rate in a birth-death-catastrophe model.

Forest-fire and avalanche models support the notion that frequent catastrophes prevent the growth of very large populations and as such, prevent rare large-scale catastrophes. We show that this notion is not universal. A new model class leads to a paradigm shift in the influence of catastrophes on the family-size distribution of subpopulations. We study a simple population dynamics model where individuals, as well as a whole family, may die with a constant probability, accompanied by a logistic population growth model. We compute the characteristics of the family-size distribution in steady state and the phase diagram of the steady-state distribution and show that the family and catastrophe size variances increase with the catastrophe frequency, which is the opposite of common intuition. Frequent catastrophes are balanced by a larger net-growth rate in surviving families, leading to the exponential growth of these families. When the catastrophe rate is further increased, a second phase transition to extinction occurs when the rate of new family creations is lower than their destruction rate by catastrophes.

A global network for operational flood risk reduction

Every year riverine flooding affects millions of people in developing countries, due to the large population exposure in the floodplains and the lack of adequate flood protection measures. Preparedness and monitoring are effective ways to reduce flood risk. State-of-the-art technologies relying on satellite remote sensing as well as numerical hydrological and weather predictions can detect and monitor severe flood events at a global scale. This paper describes the emerging role of the Global Flood Partnership (GFP), a global network of scientists, users, private and public organizations active in global flood risk management. Currently, a number of GFP member institutes regularly share results from their experimental products, developed to predict and monitor where and when flooding is taking place in near real-time. GFP flood products have already been used on several occasions by national environmental agencies and humanitarian organizations to support emergency operations and to reduce the overall socio-economic impacts of disasters. This paper describes a range of global flood products developed by GFP partners, and how these provide complementary information to support and improve current global flood risk management for large scale catastrophes. We also discuss existing challenges and ways forward to turn current experimental products into an integrated flood risk management platform to improve rapid access to flood information and increase resilience to flood events at global scale.

Aftershocks following crash of currency exchange rate: The case of RUB/USD in 2014

The dynamical behavior of the currency exchange rate after its large-scale catastrophe is discussed through a case study of the rate of Russian rubles to US dollars after its crash in 2014. It is shown that, similarly to the case of the stock market crash, the relaxation is characterized by a power law, which is in analogy with the Omori-Utsu law for earthquake aftershocks. The waiting-time distribution is found to also obey a power law. Furthermore, the event-event correlation is discussed, and the aging phenomenon and scaling property are observed. Comments are made on (non-)Markovianity of the aftershock process and on a possible relevance of glassy dynamics to the market system after the crash.

Statistical peculiarities of the mechanical response of loaded solids at the pre-fracture stage

The statistical analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamic mechanical response up to fracture for the loaded marble and ceramic specimens was performed. The revealed changes in the statistical parameters, which have common features in both experiments under consideration and simulation studies carried out before, can be regarded as precursors of catastrophic fracture. Time series reflecting the mechanical response evolution for the solids loaded up to fracture were analyzed. In the experiments being discussed, the velocity-time histories were measured by a laser-based technique. Statistical analysis was carried out by different methods in the suitable software available. Autocorrelation function indicates that the process has a high degree of autocorrelation. Cross-correlation analysis by the sliding window method showed that a high level of the correlation coefficient of the catastrophic fracture stage with the previous damage accumulation process is observed only in a very short time interval approximately equal to 8-10 times of the failure yield to the critical stage. Spectral analysis based on the fast Fourier transform of the signal (FFT) and the 2D hodograph of the FFT complex vector revealed a fractal nature of the deformation and subsequent fracture. Comparing enlarged and original hodograph fragments vividly demonstrate the multiscale character of fracture. Wavelet analysis using a symmetric Daubechies wavelet well captures short signal emissions corresponding to local failures. Their growth as the fracture point is approached shows that a large-scale catastrophe is close.

Financial Management of Flood Risks

Disasters present a broad range of human, social, financial, economic and environmental impacts, with potentially long-lasting, multi-generational effects. The financial management of these impacts is a key challenge for individuals and governments in developed and developing countries. G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors and APEC Finance Ministers have recognised the importance and priority of disaster risk management strategies and, in particular, disaster risk assessment and risk financing. The OECD has supported the development of strategies for the financial management of natural and man-made disaster risks, under the guidance of the OECD High-Level Advisory Board on Financial Management of Large-scale Catastrophes and the OECD Insurance and Private Pensions Committee. This work has included the elaboration of an OECD Recommendation on Good Practices for Mitigating and Financing Catastrophic Risks and a draft Recommendation on Disaster Risk Financing Strategies; The Financial Management of Flood Risk extends this work by applying the lessons from the OECD's analysis of disaster risk financing practices and the development of its guidance to the specific case of floods.This title belongs to OECD Report SeriesISBN: 9781780408569 (Print)ISBN: 9781780408576 (eBook)

Resilience Processes during Cosmology Episodes: Lessons Learned from the Haiti Earthquake

The Haiti earthquake of January 2010 serves as an anchor for a new field of research on the role of spirituality in international large-scale catastrophes. Using the case study of one Haitian grandmother affected by the earthquake as a microcosmic representation of the Haitian people, we build an interdisciplinary theory of spirituality in extreme contexts. First, we identify 2 management theory concepts that we found useful: “cosmology episodes” and “sensemaking processes.” Second, through a comparative case study—juxtaposing our findings from the Haiti earthquake of 2010 with Weick's (1993) findings from the Mann Gulch forest fire of 1949—we elaborate on 5 resilience processes that collectively constitute the anatomy of a cosmology episode: anticipating, sense-losing, improvising, sense-remaking, and renewing (or declining). Third, we initiate a more advanced conversation by reinterpreting literature from the psychology of religion and spirituality related to cosmology episodes, by focusing attention on the dynamics of spirituality-imbued transformative pivots within cosmology episodes, and by exploring the role of divine inspiration in cosmology episodes such as the Haiti earthquake. Finally, we call for more interdisciplinary collaboration (e.g., psychology, anthropology, sociology, management, political science, and theology) on the complex topic of the role of spirituality in resilience processes during international cosmology episodes.

The long-run consequences of Chernobyl: Evidence on subjective well-being, mental health and welfare

This paper assesses the long-run toll taken by a large-scale technological disaster on welfare, well-being and mental health. We estimate the causal effect of the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe after 20years by linking geographic variation in radioactive fallout to respondents of a nationally representative survey in Ukraine according to their place of residence in 1986. We exclude individuals who were exposed to high levels of radiation—about 4% of the population. Instead, we focus on the remaining majority of Ukrainians who received subclinical radiation doses; we find large and persistent psychological effects of this nuclear disaster. Affected individuals exhibit poorer subjective well-being, higher depression rates and lower subjective survival probabilities; they rely more on governmental transfers as source of subsistence. We estimate the aggregate annual welfare loss at 2–6% of Ukraine's GDP highlighting previously ignored externalities of large-scale catastrophes.

How Robust Is Your Project? From Local Failures to Global Catastrophes: A Complex Networks Approach to Project Systemic Risk.

Current societal requirements necessitate the effective delivery of complex projects that can do more while using less. Yet, recent large-scale project failures suggest that our ability to successfully deliver them is still at its infancy. Such failures can be seen to arise through various failure mechanisms; this work focuses on one such mechanism. Specifically, it examines the likelihood of a project sustaining a large-scale catastrophe, as triggered by single task failure and delivered via a cascading process. To do so, an analytical model was developed and tested on an empirical dataset by the means of numerical simulation. This paper makes three main contributions. First, it provides a methodology to identify the tasks most capable of impacting a project. In doing so, it is noted that a significant number of tasks induce no cascades, while a handful are capable of triggering surprisingly large ones. Secondly, it illustrates that crude task characteristics cannot aid in identifying them, highlighting the complexity of the underlying process and the utility of this approach. Thirdly, it draws parallels with systems encountered within the natural sciences by noting the emergence of self-organised criticality, commonly found within natural systems. These findings strengthen the need to account for structural intricacies of a project’s underlying task precedence structure as they can provide the conditions upon which large-scale catastrophes materialise.

Diagnostics of the human sex from the somatometric features in the cases of large-scale catastrophes

The objective of the present study was to develop the models for sex diagnostics based on the results of measurement of the wrist and its separate parts. It was shown that the best results are obtained using the size of the palm and finger III (from 87.9 to 93% of correct results). The measurement of finger III makes it possible to correctly determine the sex in 90% of the cases. At the same time, the incorrect identification of the sequential number of this finger more frequently results in erroneous diagnostics. The measurement of finger V is of the lowest informative value (73.7% of the correct results). Therefore, the use of its measurements is of a tentative value. When the sequential number of fingers II or IV is uncertain, both models can be used on equal terms without an appreciable loss of accuracy of the classification. The verification of the above models by means of comparison of the data obtained with those from the control group has demonstrated the high accuracy of the classification similar with that of the theoretical model.