Occupied Areas Research Articles

Genocide of russia’s national minorities in its war with Ukraine

Abstract. As russia faces increasing losses of its armed forces in the war with Ukraine, the kremlin is trying to make up for them in every possible way, even though the russian dictator is afraid to introduce highly unpopular full-scale conscription openly. Instead, under these circumstances, the country is conducting covert ‘partial mobilisation’, particularly engaging the male population from remote distressed regions with the compact residence of national minorities and the occupied areas of Georgia and Ukraine, Syrian mercenaries, and tens of thousands of convicts. Conscription is far less common in russia’s major cities, which are both economically and socially developed and primarily inhabited by ethnic russians. Conversely, it is aimed at wiping out the national minorities coming from remote, disadvantaged regions. Thus, the war covertly serves to carry out ethnic segregation and genocide (effectively, extermination) of russia’s ethnic minorities. Although public information is rather meagre and restricted by the russian authorities during the war, it reveals that the number of casualties among the poorest national minorities from russia’s remote regions disproportionately exceeds the corresponding toll of ethnic russians who have met the same fate. Keywords: genocide, national minority, russia–Ukraine war, international humanitarian law, conscription, military mobilisation, private military company.

Ensemble projections of fish distribution in response to climate changes in the Yellow and Bohai Seas, China

Climate change is an important driving force affecting species distribution, so quantifying the influences of climate change on species distributions is necessary for effective fishery management. To identify the geographical distribution pattern and future potential suitable habitat area of fishes in the Yellow and Bohai Seas (YBS), we built ensemble models of spatial distribution for 22 important fish species using 3185 valid distributional records and 9 environmental variables extracted from multiple databases. The constructed ensemble models showed high accuracy with mean AUC, Kappa and TSS values of 0.97, 0.82 and 0.84. Salinity and temperature proximal to the seabed were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of fishes. Presently, the number of important fish species (NIFS) tends to be low in the Bohai Sea and high in the Yellow Sea. Future projections indicated that there would be obvious interspecific differences in the geographical distribution of fishes, and the number of species with range contractions is predicted to be greater than that of range expansions. Coastal fishes and cold temperate fishes are predicted to narrow their occupied areas. In the future, the NIFS in the YBS is expected to increase overall. Spatially, sporadic areas in the central and southern Yellow Sea will have a reduced NIFS, while the Bohai Sea, coastal waters near the southern Shandong Peninsula and the northern East China Sea may experience increased NIFS. Our results provide a theoretical basis for predicting the climate-driven range shifts of fishes in one of the world’s most heavily impacted marine ecosystems, that can be extended to develop climate-adaptive management strategies.

Contamination of personal protective equipment and environmental surfaces in Fangcang shelter hospitals

BackgroundFangcang shelter hospitals emerged as a new public health concept after COVID-19. Data regarding contamination of Fangcang shelter environments remains scarce. This study aims to investigate the extent of SARS-CoV-2 contamination on personal protective equipment and surfaces in Fangcang hospitals. MethodsBetween March and May 2022, during wave of omicron variant, a prospective study was conducted in 2 Fangcang hospitals in Shanghai, China. Swabs of personal protective equipment worn and environmental surfaces of contaminated areas, doffing rooms, and potentially contaminated areas were collected. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. If viral RNA was detected, sampling was repeated after cleaning and disinfection. ResultsA total of 602 samples were collected. 13.3% of the personal protective equipment were contaminated. Positive rate was higher in the contaminated areas (48.4%) than in the doffing rooms (11.7%) and the potentially contaminated areas (0; P<.05). Contamination was highest in patient occupied areas (67.5%). After cleaning, samples taken at previously contaminated surfaces are all negative. ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 RNA contamination is prevalent in Fangcang hospitals and healthcare workers are under risk of infection. Potentially contaminated areas and surfaces after cleaning and disinfection are negative, underlying the importance of infection control policy.

Cooler, bigger; warmer, smaller: Fine‐scale thermal heterogeneity maps age class and species distribution in behaviourally thermoregulating salmonids

AbstractBehavioural thermoregulation is a survival strategy that occurs in response to an exceedance of thermal stress‐inducing thresholds. When salmonids experience exceedance of these thresholds, they seek regions of colder water, known as thermal refuges. During an extreme temperature event of summer 2021 (main stem ~31.5°C) a large aggregation of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar—all age classes) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis—&gt;20 cm) was observed on the Little Southwest Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada. Using a drone‐mounted thermal infrared (TIR) sensor, fine‐scale TIR imagery of the occupied refuge was acquired. Polarized glasses were worn by an onshore observer to make visual observations. Constructing maps from these data we examined the spatial distribution of fish, and the corresponding temperature of the areas they occupied. Salmonids were found to be distributed by age class and species, with the distribution driven by the mosaic of temperatures in the refuge. Young of the year (YOY), 1+, 2+ and adult Atlantic salmon occupied areas with average temperatures ~30.1, 28.8, 25.7 and 21.9°C, respectively; whilst mature brook trout occupied areas ~21.8°C. Noteworthy is the observation of thermally aggregating young of the year Atlantic salmon, and the range in temperatures they occupied (~8°C). One isolated, shallow, cold water patch (~22°C) exclusively held YOY Atlantic salmon. Our findings highlight the importance of several different thermal characteristics of thermal refuges and their link to salmonid occupancy and can aid the design of ecologically meaningful thermal refuge augmentation/restoration projects.

Improving Estuarine Flood Risk Knowledge through Documentary Data Using Multiple Correspondence Analysis

Estuarine margins are usually heavily occupied areas that are commonly affected by compound flooding triggers originating from different sources (e.g., coastal, fluvial, and pluvial). Therefore, estuarine flood management remains a challenge due to the need to combine the distinct dimensions of flood triggers and damages. Past flood data are critical for improve our understanding of flood risks in these areas, while providing the basis for a preliminary flood risk assessment, as required by European Floods Directive. This paper presents a spin-off database of estuarine flood events built upon previously existing databases and a framework for working with qualitative past flood information using multiple correspondence analysis. The methodology is presented, with steps ranging from a spin-off database building process to information extraction techniques, and the statistical method used was further explored through the study of information acquired from the categories and their relation to the dimensions. This work enabled the extraction of the most relevant estuarine flood risk indicators and demonstrates the transversal importance of triggers, since they are of utmost importance for the characterization of estuarine flood risks. The results showed a relation between sets of triggers and damages that are related to estuarine margin land use, demonstrating their ability to inform flood risk management options. This work provides a consistent and coherent approach to use qualitative information on past floods, as a useful contribution in the context of scarce data, where measured and documentary data are not simultaneously available.

«Ya znayu, chto znachit vojna». Nacistskaya okkupacionnaya politika protiv detstva (na materialah Severo-Zapada RSFSR)

The article shows the Nazi occupation policy towards children and adolescents in the North-West of the RSFSR during the Great Patriotic War. For its analysis, official documents were used (acts of district and village commissions to investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders, questionnaires of citizens who returned from forced labor, reports, memorandums, summaries, reports and other documents of the command of partisan units and individual partisans on the situation in the occupied areas), as well as the memories of children and adolescents. The article shows the facts of the crimes of Nazism, which have become an expression of a cruel punitive policy against children and adolescents.

Zbrodnie Niemców na Polakach w pierwszych miesiącach II wojny światowej 1939/1940

German crimes committed against the Polish people during the first months of the Second World War 1939/1940 The aim of the article is to show the scale and extent of the extermination of Polish society, which was a component of the national policy of the Third Reich in the first months of the Second World War. It is a quantitative presentation of the phenomenon of a crime which included arrests, interrogations, the use of physical and mental coercion, shootings and executions. The extermination activities against the Polish nation continued throughout the entire period of the war. The Terror of the Third Reich covered the areas of Gdańsk Pomerania, Greater Poland, Upper Silesia, and central Poland. As part of the policy of exterminating the Polish nation, at the beginning of the war, the Third Reich began the so-called “Action Intelligentsia”(Intelligenzaktion) and AB (Ausserordentliche Befriedungsaktion) which was formally named Extraordinary Pacification Action. In the occupied areas, various German formations (Selbstschutz, Einsatzgruppen SS) committed mass, planned crimes against the Polish elite, intelligentsia, teachers, clergy, local government officials and state officials.

A STUDY OF PROCESS SIMULATION BASED ON A MULTI-AGENT SYSTEM FOR SHIPBUILDING

This paper proposes a simulation technique for the shipbuilding process based on a multi-agent system. In this paper, we propose a simulation technique for the construction process based on a multi-agent system. In this method, the worker is regarded as an agent and the virtual factory as an environment. Tasks are represented as a combination of more detailed elemental tasks. Three techniques, pathfinding with the A-star algorithm, placements of two-dimensional irregular shapes, and intersection with other equipment or occupied areas, were introduced to allow agents to take spatial constraints into account. It also simulates the manufacturing process by performing task selection through an evaluation function based on weight coefficients. The simulation results for sub-assembly and assembly process in a real shipyard confirmed that the task could be reproduced with high accuracy. It is possible to capture manufacturing features in simulation in advance, without manufacturing them.

Financing of terrorism - an overview

The article discusses the basic sources of financing of 20th-century and 21st century terrorism: seizures for banks, abductions for ransom, smuggling and drug trafficking. As specific methods, those that used Islamic State were also listed, including Crude oil trading in occupied areas, trade in monuments and others. The issue of terrorism sponsored by the state was included separately.

Indoor environmental quality in green certified office buildings

The presented paper deals with the assessment of selected indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors, specifically the parameters of thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ), in two buildings of a modern office complex. Both buildings are LEED certified. The monitoring of selected IEQ risk factors took place in selected office spaces (cell and open-space offices) representative of all occupied areas under operating conditions. The results of real measurements of IAQ parameters indicate that the monitored office spaces in both buildings did not exceed the required limits set by the LEED certification system. The measured parameters of thermal comfort were within the permissible legislative limits and the results of Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) indices show that a suitable level of thermal comfort can be expected in the given buildings during their occupancy. Based on the results of real measurements, it can be stated that both office buildings actually meet the LEED criteria for IAQ and guarantee a healthy and comfortable working environment for their occupants.

Detskoe vospriyatie vojny i okkupacii (1941—1944 gg.): na materialah Severo-Zapada RSFSR

This article forms and substantiates the principles of reconstructing the experience of everyday life of children and adolescents in the occupied territory of the NorthWest of the RSFSR in 1941-1944. The authors show the peculiarities of the perception of occupation by children and adolescents on the basis of a comprehensive study of various sources (archival documents, diaries and post-war memories). The article shows that the image of war and occupation in children’s perception is associated with constant hunger and the need to search for food, constant bombing, destruction and casualties, attempts to evacuate outside the occupied areas, life in the forests. Children and teenagers became eyewitnesses and victims of the punitive operations of the Nazis, their experiences during the occupation were associated with the loss of loved ones, labor mobilizations and forced labor in Germany.

Prestupleniya protiv detstva na Leningradskom sudebnom processe (27 dekabrya 1945 — 4 yanvarya 1946 g.)

After the expulsion of the Nazi invaders from the occupied areas of the Leningrad region, numerous facts of the extermination of peaceful Soviet citizens, including women, old people and children, the hijacking of the Soviet population for forced labor in Germany, the destruction and destruction of cities, villages and looting of property in these areas were revealed. December 28, 1945 The Military Tribunal of the Leningrad Military District has begun hearing the case of a group of former servicemen of the German army accused of mass crimes against the civilian population committed on the territory of the Leningrad Region during its occupation. During the judicial investigation, numerous facts of crimes against childhood were proved.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND MANIPULATIONS OF THE RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA IN THE "LDNR" EDITIONS

&nbsp;The information component is one of the main means of influence in the complex of so-called hybrid wars waged against independent states in the post-Soviet space by Russia.Information-semantic "formatting" of mass consciousness, public opinion and people's moods with the help of information management, manipulative technologies of influence is a priority in the activities of Russian propagandists and in the occupied territories of Ukraine. In our study, we tried to trace the use of such technologies in print and, to some extent, other mass media of the self-proclaimed “republics” of Donbass – the “LPR” and “DPR”. The sources for the thesis analysis were the publications of periodicals annexed and created by Moscow propagandists for 2017: XXI Century, Unity, Cossack Bulletin, Express News, Life of Lugansk, Respublika, Novorossiya, "Donetsk Republic", "Makievsky Worker of the DPR", "New Luch", "Enakievsky Worker", "Kochegarka", "Gorlovka. Today”, “World of News”, “Express Club”, as well as materials from online publications, programs and broadcasts of local radio and television.The media of the occupied areas of Donbass is a training ground and at the same time a kind of guide to the use of information manipulative technologies of influence, the use of propaganda tools. A proven technology is, in particular, the creation of a cult of personality - the image of a leader, the "father of the nation", who is worshiped and followed, whose opinion and decision should not be questioned. Such examples of indestructibility and courage, wise and far-sighted leaders in the publications of the so-called "DNR" and "LNR" appear all the leaders of the "republics", replacing each other from time to time. Also, according to the patterns of propaganda, those who are removed from power for one reason or another are obstructed in order to raise new leaders.

Social interest housing projects implemented by BNH in the 1980s in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul

The conditions that existed in 1964 allowed the foundation of the Housing Finance System and the National Housing Bank (BNH), which led to the creation of large social housing projects the Housing Companies (COHABs). These projects were implemented to reduce the pressure for housing on the classes with lower purchasing power. This article aims to evaluate housing projects of social interest implemented in the 1980s through the BNH in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, analysing their implementation and consequences. The document analysis method was used on data characterising the occupied areas. The BNH action was significant due to the number of housing units delivered in the period, which benefitted 13,028 families, 58,626 people. The model followed considerably reduced the housing deficit, but also led to the formation of urban voids; this was related to the fact that the BNH is a central decision-making body at the federal level. Housing construction used areas in regions that were unattractive for the formal real estate market, in places far from the centre, which were often located on the banks of streams, outside the urban perimeter. This situation made it difficult for the population to access service, mobility, supply, and urban facility networks. At the end of the period evaluated, the need to improve public policies aimed at social housing became evident, in future avoiding some mistakes made in the implementation of housing projects in the city.

Spatial patterns of associations among ecosystem services across different spatial scales in metropolitan areas: A case study of Shanghai, China

Understanding the spatial patterns of ecosystem service (ESs) supply and their multiscale associations are prerequisites for optimizing blue-green space planning and sustainable management in metropolitan areas. This study selected Shanghai as a typical metropolitan area in the plain river network region, and five key ESs were mapped. Based on ESs supply efficiency, an ESs cumulative curve method was proposed to identify ESs hot spots. The bivariate local Moran’s I was used to compare the trade-offs and synergies among ESs and their spatial distributions across the four grid scales and two administrative division scales. The results showed a strong spatial heterogeneity of ESs supply and a scale dependency of the associations among them. The high-value areas of the ESs supply were mainly distributed in the west, north, and south. The hot spots of each ecosystem service accumulated more than 55% of each service, but only occupied areas less than 30% of the whole area. The synergies of four of ten pairs of ESs remained consistent across all scales. At the grid scales, they were all synergistic. The synergies of nine pairs of ESs decreased as the scale increased, and the other pair showed the opposite trend. At the administrative division scales, almost all pairs exhibited the strongest synergies at the district scale, and six pairs were trade-offs at the subdistrict scale. The scale effects indicated that the district scale was appropriate for decision-making in metropolitan areas, but the subdistrict-scale results should not be directly used as a reference. Finally, hierarchical planning and conservation policies and differentiated management policies at different administrative division scales were proposed. This study contributes to creating win–win options and improving human well-being. The analytical framework can be applied to across regions and to assess the ESs supply under various planning scenarios.

On the occurrence of the Critically Endangered blond titi (Callicebus barbarabrownae): reassessment of occupied areas and minimum population size

On the occurrence of the Critically Endangered blond titi (Callicebus barbarabrownae): reassessment of occupied areas and minimum population size

Avaliação em escala regional da geodiversidade da Aglomeração Urbana do Sul e seus municípios, litoral do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.

The understanding of the relationships between abiotic components and these with the natural system, especially in coastal areas and densely occupied areas, such as urban agglomerations, has been important to support policies of conservation, preservation, and sustainable regional development. In this sense, the aim of this study was to carry out an assessment on a regional scale of the geodiversity of the Urban Agglomeration of the South (AUSul), the coast of Rio Grande do Sul and its constituent municipalities, through a geodiversity index and the occurrence and distribution of its elements in the region. To construct the index, the abiotic elements considered most relevant for the region’s characteristics and the availability of data approximately compatible with the 1:250,000 scale was qualitatively defined. Subsequently, they were treated with methods of map algebra, resulting in the maps of the sub-indices related to geology, topography and geomorphology, hydrography and soils per municipality, and the geodiversity index of each municipality and the region. The results indicate the municipalities located on the Sul-Rio-Grandense Plateau and at the interface with the Coastal Plain with the highest indexes, being influenced by the greatest diversity of geological units, relief types, altimetric variations, and hydrographic features. Despite the significant occurrence of large wetland areas in the Coastal Plain municipalities, their indices were the lowest. The study proved to be useful for the understanding of the geodiversity of the AUSul, pointing out areas for studies at larger scales and macro-zoning, in addition to the need for complementation with methods that incorporate subjective characteristics of geodiversity.

Eight Years and Nine Months of War

The Ukrainian army has undergone significant modernisation since the start of the war in 2014. That said, it was inadequately prepared for Russia’s invasion in February 2022. There was a shortage of heavy weapons, armoured vehicles, and ammunition. Nonetheless, the Ukrainian army proved itself able to cope with the massive attack and to liberate occupied areas. Decisive factors were the strong will to fight, the support of the population, good coordination of mobile units acting with great autonomy, the delivery of western artillery and rocket systems, a smart tactical approach, and not least of all mistakes made by the invaders. This enabled the Ukrainian army to achieve great successes in the defence of Kiev and Kharkiv in the first two months of the war and in significant reconquests during the summer and autumn. Where the occupying army has entrenched itself in urban areas or along well-fortified front lines, the Ukrainian armed forces are running into difficulties and paying a high price in blood.

Exploring urbanization and critical habitat loss through land cover change around the Bons Sinais Estuary, Mozambique

Estuaries supply direct and indirect multi-sectoral opportunities including for transport, natural resource use and climate protection. These provisions support livelihoods and contribute to social and economic development. The Bons Sinais Estuary in Zambézia Province, central Mozambique, is adjacent to the provincial administrative capital Quelimane, some 25 km from the coast. The rapid growth of Quelimane has increased the demand for natural resources from the estuary, including space, food, fuelwood, transport and raw materials for construction and economic activities. Expansion of the built environment has extended into low-lying lands, mostly within the critical estuarine functional zone with inevitable consequences, such as damage to natural habitats and flooding of occupied areas during rainy seasons. The aim of this study was to analyse three decades of change (1991 – 2018) in land use and land cover (LU/LC) in the Bons Sinais Estuary, focussing on the growth of Quelimane city and the transformation of estuarine and surrounding habitats. The method relied on open-access satellite images and a LU/LC change analysis to quantify the spatio-temporal changes brought about by economic development and related human activities. A combination of low-intensity fieldwork and satellite-derived data (Landsat-5, sensor: Thematic Mapper and Landsat-8; sensors: Operational Land Imager, Thermal Infra-Red Scanner) was used to generate LU/LC information classified according to the features: mangrove trees; wetlands; estuary intertidal areas; built-up area; cultivated trees; and cultivated land. From 1991 onwards, there was an overall increase in cultivated crops (66 %), development (79 %) (including rural human settlements) and intertidal mudflats (12 %) with a concomitant decline in critical wetlands (16 %) and mangroves (12 %). The study predicts a worsening of the impacts on the estuarine ecosystem with further growth of Quelimane city. To reverse the negative trend on estuary health, the recommendation is for management interventions that promote sustainable LU, and urban development plans that consider ecosystem conservation and active restoration.

Socio-Environmental Vulnerability of Water in the Estuary of the Metropolitan Region of Santos (Brazil)

Abstract Santos and São Vicente Estuarine Complex (SSEC) is a densely populated coastal area that houses the main port in Latin America and the most prominent Brazilian industrial complex. Irregular occupations in preservation areas result in a disorderly increase in population, with negative social and environmental impacts. We evaluated the average annual growth of 74 slums occurring in this area and variations in water quality from 2005 to 2018. We monitor the growth of the occupied areas and estimate their respective populations. The average annual population growth was over 6% per year (p.a.). Invasions of new areas and verticalisation of already occupied areas represent 85% of the growth seen. The monthly polluting loads exceeded 450 tonnes or 2,086,000 m3, compromising the waters and local and regional public health. We strongly recommend re-urbanising the area using the resource savings caused by water loss to reduce the risks of ecosystem degradation, damage to health and disease spread.