Present-day Conditions Research Articles

Опера в зеркале российской научной периодики последних пяти лет

The article gives an evaluation of the present-day condition of research works dedicated to opera in Russian academic periodicals and their correlation with publications in musicology in other countries. The material for analysis was provided by over 200 articles from 18 Russian journals, as well as a number of works written in English. As a result, it was possible to reveal several priority aspects of examination of opera. Conclusions are made about the expansion of the chronological and geographic frameworks in research works written in Russia, which corresponds to the world-wide tendency. At the same time, as analysis has shown, Russian musicologists, unlike those in other countries, pay much less attention to the Classical and Romantic heritage, considering it to having been sufficiently studied, and give their preferences to early and contemporary works. An important place in Russian scholarship about opera at the present time is taken up by source studies works receptivity and libretto studies — the areas closely connected with the needs for preparation of academically fitted editions and performances of opera works. Special attention is paid to articles in which opera becomes an object of theoretical analysis. Herein, Russian musicology keeps pace with that in other countries. All of these observations have made it possible to come to the conclusion that at the present time such directions in research of opera predominate which earlier for various reasons remained out of the scholars’ eyesight. Russian scholarship about opera is undergoing a period of deconstruction of an entire set of cliché evaluations and filling up of blank spots, which creates the basis for new approaches to interpretation of the opera heritage and the topical processes of musical theater.

Mapping the potential distribution of the principal vector of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus Hyalomma marginatum in the Old World.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is the most widely distributed tick-borne viral disease in humans and is caused by the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). The virus has a broader distribution, expanding from western China and South Asia to the Middle East, southeast Europe, and Africa. The historical known distribution of the CCHFV vector Hyalomma marginatum in Europe includes most of the Mediterranean and the Balkan countries, Ukraine, and southern Russia. Further expansion of its potential distribution may have occurred in and out of the Mediterranean region. This study updated the distributional map of the principal vector of CCHFV, H. marginatum, in the Old World using an ecological niche modeling approach based on occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and a set of covariates. The model predicted higher suitability of H. marginatum occurrences in diverse regions of Africa and Asia. Furthermore, the model estimated the environmental suitability of H. marginatum across Europe. On a continental scale, the model anticipated a widespread potential distribution encompassing the southern, western, central, and eastern parts of Europe, reaching as far north as the southern regions of Scandinavian countries. The distribution of H. marginatum also covered countries across Central Europe where the species is not autochthonous. All models were statistically robust and performed better than random expectations (p < 0.001). Based on the model results, climatic conditions could hamper the successful overwintering of H. marginatum and their survival as adults in many regions of the Old World. Regular updates of the models are still required to continually assess the areas at risk using up-to-date occurrence and climatic data in present-day and future conditions.

Basin-scale tracer replacement timescales in a one-degree global OGCM

This study investigates basin-scale tracer replacement timescales of the two polar oceans and the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans using a one-degree global ocean-sea ice model that represents oceans under the largest Antarctic ice shelves, the Filchner-Ronne and Ross Ice Shelf (FRIS and RIS). After a long spin-up with present-day surface boundary conditions, we confirm that the model has a typical representation of wind-driven and thermohaline circulations in one-degree ocean models. We use virtual passive tracers placed in the five oceans and examine the behavior of the passive tracers to estimate the tracer replacement timescales and pathways of the basin-scale ocean waters. Replacement timescales in the polar oceans (114 years for the Southern Ocean and 109 years for the Arctic Ocean) are found to be shorter than those in the three oceans (217 years for the Atlantic Ocean, 163 years for the Indian Ocean, and 338 years for the Pacific Ocean). The Southern Ocean tracer has two clear pathways to the Northern Hemisphere: the surface route in the Atlantic Ocean and the bottom route in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This surface route is a rapid conduit to transport the Southern Ocean signal to the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The Atlantic Ocean tracer is transported to both polar regions along the North Atlantic Current and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The tracer experiments clearly demonstrate that Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a vital role in transporting the water masses in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans to the Southern Ocean. The southward flow of the AMOC at the intermediate depths carries the northern waters to the ACC region, and then the water spreads over the Southern Ocean along the eastward-flowing ACC. The decay timescales of water in the ice-shelf cavities exposed to the water outside the Southern Ocean are estimated to be approximately 150 years for both the FIRS and RIS. The decay timescales in the Antarctic coastal region are short at the surface and long in the deep layers, with a noticeable reduction in the areas where ACC flows southward toward the Antarctic continent.

Activities of Public Libraries in the Conditions of Transformations Caused by the Full-Scale Russian Military Aggression

The purpose of the article is to investigate and highlight the activities of public libraries, modern multimedia library spaces in the conditions of digitisation and adaptation of society to today's requirements. The research methodology is based on the application of general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, system and socio-communicative approach. Scientific novelty lies in the study of the activities of public libraries and expanding their functionality in providing services in conditions of transformation and adaptation, responding to new challenges facing society and the state as a whole. The process of social and communicative interaction between libraries, modern multimedia spaces, and users in the present-day conditions is revealed. Conclusions. In the conditions of martial law, libraries are organically woven into the information society and its activities as social institutions. In accordance with the process of transformations, purpose, functions, and tasks that form a new public image, libraries have become providers of information and cultural and educational services with quality content for comprehensive development of society at the state and world levels. The system of library institutions of Ukraine forms an intelligent, intellectual, creative, cultural society, introducing the latest services into its activities, using new information resources, disseminating objective information, counteracting manipulation and information warfare. Libraries are powerful socio-cultural, scientific and information centres that have become the foundation of society's information base, an important social tool for the further development of informatisation and ensuring access to all categories of users to information resources, technologies, education, and culture for growth and self-improvement. From the point of view of modern trends, in the conditions of martial law, we are convinced of the powerful capabilities and resources of libraries to meet the educational, informational, communication, cultural and leisure needs of users. Keywords: public libraries, modern multimedia library spaces, innovative forms of user service, innovative educational environment, media literacy, Russian-Ukrainian war.

Benefits of net-zero policies for future ozone pollution in China

Abstract. Net-zero emission policies principally target climate change but may have a profound influence on surface ozone pollution. To investigate this, we use a chemistry–climate model to simulate surface ozone changes in China under a net-zero pathway and examine the different drivers that govern these changes. We find large monthly mean surface ozone decreases of up to 16 ppb in summer and small ozone decreases of 1 ppb in winter. Local emissions are shown to have the largest influence on future ozone changes, outweighing the effects of changes in emissions outside China, changes in global methane concentrations, and a warmer climate. Impacts of local and external emissions show strong seasonality, with the largest contributions to surface ozone in summer, while changes in global methane concentrations have a more uniform effect throughout the year. We find that while a warmer climate has a minor impact on ozone change compared to the net-zero scenario, it will alter the spatial patterns of ozone in China, leading to ozone increases in the south and ozone decreases in the north. We also apply a deep learning model to correct biases in our ozone simulations and to provide a more robust assessment of ozone changes. We find that emission controls may lead to a surface ozone decrease of 5 ppb in summer. The number of days with high-ozone episodes with daily mean ozone greater than 50 ppb will be reduced by 65 % on average. This is smaller than that simulated with the chemistry–climate model, reflecting overestimated ozone formation under present-day conditions. Nevertheless, this assessment clearly shows that the strict emission policies needed to reach net zero will have a major benefit in reducing surface ozone pollution and the occurrence of high-ozone episodes, particularly in high-emission regions in China.

Pollen-based reconstructions of Holocene climate trends in the eastern Mediterranean region

Abstract. There has been considerable debate about the degree to which climate has driven societal changes in the eastern Mediterranean region, partly through reliance on a limited number of qualitative records of climate changes and partly reflecting the need to disentangle the joint impact of changes in different aspects of climate. Here, we use tolerance-weighted, weighted-averaging partial least squares to derive reconstructions of the mean temperature of the coldest month (MTCO), mean temperature of the warmest month (MTWA), growing degree days above a threshold of 0 ∘C (GDD0), and plant-available moisture, which is represented by the ratio of modelled actual to equilibrium evapotranspiration (α) and corrected for past CO2 changes. This is done for 71 individual pollen records from the eastern Mediterranean region covering part or all of the interval from 12.3 ka to the present. We use these reconstructions to create regional composites that illustrate the long-term trends in each variable. We compare these composites with transient climate model simulations to explore potential causes of the observed trends. We show that the glacial–Holocene transition and the early part of the Holocene was characterised by conditions colder than the present. Rapid increases in temperature occurred between ca. 10.3 and 9.3 ka, considerably after the end of the Younger Dryas. Although the time series are characterised by centennial to millennial oscillations, the MTCO showed a gradual increase from 9 ka to the present, consistent with the expectation that winter temperatures were forced by orbitally induced increases in insolation during the Holocene. The MTWA also showed an increasing trend from 9 ka and reached a maximum of ca. 1.5 ∘C greater than the present at ca. 4.5 and 5 ka, followed by a gradual decline towards present-day conditions. A delayed response to summer insolation changes is likely a reflection of the persistence of the Laurentide and Fennoscandian ice sheets; subsequent summer cooling is consistent with the expected response to insolation changes. Plant-available moisture increased rapidly after 11 ka, and conditions were wetter than today between 10 and 6 ka, but thereafter, α declined gradually. These trends likely reflect changes in atmospheric circulation and moisture advection into the region and were probably too small to influence summer temperature through land–surface feedbacks. Differences in the simulated trajectory of α in different models highlight the difficulties in reproducing circulation-driven moisture advection into the eastern Mediterranean.

Ocean acidification enhances primary productivity and nocturnal carbonate dissolution in intertidal rock pools

Abstract. Human CO2 emissions are modifying ocean carbonate chemistry, causing ocean acidification and likely already impacting marine ecosystems. In particular, there is concern that coastal, benthic calcifying organisms will be negatively affected by ocean acidification, a hypothesis largely supported by laboratory studies. The inter-relationships between carbonate chemistry and marine calcifying communities in situ are complex, and natural mesocosms such as tidal pools can provide useful community-level insights. In this study, we manipulated the carbonate chemistry of intertidal pools to investigate the influence of future ocean acidification on net community production (NCP) and calcification (NCC) at emersion. Adding CO2 at the start of the tidal emersion to simulate future acidification (+1500 µatm pCO2, target pH 7.5) modified net production and calcification rates in the pools. By day, pools were fertilized by the increased CO2 (+20 % increase in NCP, from 10 to 12 mmol O2 m−2 h−1), while there was no measurable impact on NCC. During the night, pools experienced net community dissolution (NCC &lt; 0), even under present-day conditions, when waters were supersaturated with regard to aragonite. Adding CO2 to the pools increased nocturnal dissolution rates by 40 % (from −0.7 to −1.0 mmol CaCO3 m−2 h−1) with no consistent impact on nocturnal community respiration. Our results suggest that ocean acidification is likely to alter temperate intertidal community metabolism on sub-daily timescales, enhancing both diurnal community production and nocturnal calcium carbonate dissolution.

Botanical Assessment of Remnant Floodplain Habitats Along Plaster Creek, Kent County, Michigan: Assessing Changes Since the 1890s

Plaster Creek, a tributary of the Grand River, drains a 58-square mile watershed in Kent County, Michigan. Its headwaters originate in the agriculturally dominated southwestern portion of the county, and then it meanders through residential, commercial, and urban areas of Kentwood and Grand Rapids before it empties into the Grand River about one mile south of downtown Grand Rapids. Much of Plaster Creek’s original floodplain, like the rest of its watershed, has been drastically altered and degraded over time due to the development of residential neighborhoods, commercial properties, agriculture, and industrial zones. Floodplains house unique assemblages of Michigan’s native biodiversity and sustain stream and watershed health, warranting their preservation and restoration. Over several seasons, Calvin University Herbarium’s Emma Cole Grand Rapids Flora Project inventoried seven remnant floodplain sites along Plaster Creek from near its source in Gaines Township to downstream areas within the City of Grand Rapids. A total of 438 species of vascular plants were documented for the combined seven floodplains, of which 341 (77.9%) are native. Floristic Quality Assessments were calculated for each of the sites with values ranging from a Total Floristic Quality Index (FQI) of 30.4 (Total Mean C = 2.8) at the smallest site with only 93 native species (78.7%), to a Total FQI of 52.7 (Total Mean C = 3.6) at the Ken-O-Sha Park floodplain, with 176 (82.2%) native species. The Stanaback Park floodplain had a similar number of native species, 174 (80.9%), and a Total FQI of 48.4 (Total Mean C = 3.3). In order to make comparisons with floristic information compiled by Emma Cole in the 1890s, a Floristic Quality Assessment was calculated based on 65 species (98.5% native) collected and reported by Cole (1901) as occurring along Plaster Creek. The Total FQI of Cole’s list was 48.4 (Total Mean C = 6.0), and 27 of her species have a high level of fidelity to a narrow range of ecological conditions, five of which today hold Special Concern, Threatened, or Endangered status in Michigan. By comparing our inventory findings with the floristic information gathered by Cole, this study highlights changes that have taken place in the Plaster Creek floodplain over the past 120+ years, describes the present-day condition of Plaster Creek’s floodplains, and can be used to inform future ecological restoration efforts along this and other local creeks.

Wetland Management in Recharge Regions of Regional Groundwater Flow Systems with Water Shortage, Nyírség Region, Hungary

Climate change and increasing human impacts are more emphasised in recharge regions, where the main flow direction is downward, resulting in negative water balance. Two wetlands located in the recharge position of regional groundwater flow systems were investigated in the Nyírség region, Hungary, as pilot areas for representing wetlands in similar hydraulic positions. Hydraulic data processes, chemical data evaluations, and numerical simulations revealed that the wetlands are fed via local flow systems, superimposing regional-scale recharge conditions in the area. The wetlands are discharge and flow-through types in connection with local flow systems. Nevertheless, in the case of significant regional water table decline—due to the high vulnerability of recharge areas to climate change—local flows are degraded, so they are not able to sustain the wetlands. To preserve the groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the areas, water retention at the local recharge areas of the wetlands may help in the mitigation of water level decline under present-day conditions. If the regional water table continues to decline, comprehensive water retention solutions are needed in the whole region. The results highlight that understanding the natural wetland–groundwater interactions at different scales is crucial for the preservation of wetlands and for successful water retention planning.

Moisture control of tropical cyclones in high-resolution simulations of paleoclimate and future climate

The intensity of tropical cyclones (TCs) is expected to increase in response to greenhouse warming. However, how future climate change will affect TC frequencies and tracks is still under debate. Here, to further elucidate the underlying sensitivities and mechanisms, we study TCs response to different past and future climate forcings. Using a high-resolution TC-resolving global Earth system model with 1/4° atmosphere and 1/10° ocean resolution, we conducted a series of paleo-time-slice and future greenhouse warming simulations targeting the last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e, 125 ka), glacial sub-stage MIS5d (115 ka), present-day (PD), and CO2 doubling (2×CO2) conditions. Our analysis reveals that precessional forcing created an interhemispheric difference in simulated TC densities, whereas future CO2 forcing impacts both hemispheres in the same direction. In both cases, we find that TC genesis frequency, density, and intensity are primarily controlled by changes in tropospheric thermal and moisture structure, exhibiting a clear reduction in TC genesis density in warmer hemispheres.

Sociocultural aspects of spatial development

Spatial development is one of the factors in the formation of society, and the policy of conscious spatial development is the most important component of transitions to new technological and sociocultural ways of life. The article deals with the problem of theoretical understanding of spatial development, as well as the author’s concept of its study and approach to the formation of relevant policies. The author proposes distinguishing between “developed” societies, capable of purposefully shaping their own space, and “undeveloped” ones, capable only of adapting to spontaneous changes in their own space. In the political sense, the task of spatial development is to form, through a complex impact on society, stable systemic integral formations of joint life activity. The article highlights two strategies for spatial development — revolutionary and evolutionary. Along with them, the author proposes using the concept of the cultural diversity of society as a tool for analyzing sociocultural environments. According to the author’s approach, it is necessary to study the sociocultural environment in a particular territory as a unique composition of social practices, historically self-reproducing on the basis of typological cultural patterns — traditional, modern, and communicative. The author comes to the conclusion that spatial development strategies focused only on one cultural pattern lead to the fact that part of the population starts to perceive the policy of implementing spatial development programs as alien to them, and this creates additional tension in the processes of transformation of societies. Therefore, in the process of deploying spatial development projects, along with economic studies on the characteristics of social space, it is necessary to conduct studies of the cultural patterns that are inherent in the people who form it. The author believes that the harmonization of social practices that are formed on the basis of and within the framework of various cultural patterns is one of the tasks of the policy of spatial development and a factor in the sustainability of society. Therefore, cultural policy should imply comprehensive support for the development of all cultural patterns on the basis of a dialogue of cultures. Regulators from different modes of life provide social communication and exchange on the scale of familial, tribal, communal integrity, as well as on the scale of nation-state and global communities. Therefore, their support is necessary for the reproduction of society in present-day conditions.

Regional impacts of agricultural land use history on forest vegetation and soils: Comparing primary and post-agricultural forests in Northern New Jersey

We studied the effects of agricultural land use history on present-day forest conditions at large spatial and temporal scales. We used historic forest maps from the late 1800s to document the spatial extent of primary and post-agricultural forest cover in the 8080 km2 area of northern New Jersey outside the coastal plain, measuring the structure and composition of their vegetation and soils in 72 paired plots, and comparing the responses to agricultural land use history across regional and landscape-level environmental gradients. We estimated a 25% net increase in forest cover from the late 1800’s to 2015, with a 26% decline in primary forests during the same time. As little as 5–14% of the land area of some ecoregions are occupied by primary forests today. Post-agricultural forests comprise >46% of total forest cover and up to 72–77% in some ecoregions. Forest vegetation and soils differed significantly in the two forest types, with 8–11x greater invasive shrub and liana cover in post-ag forests, 2–5x more invasive species than native species, and reduced tree regeneration in seedling and sapling size classes (37–63%). Post-ag forest soils had a higher pH and associated base mineral concentrations (Ca, Mg), lower nutrients (NH4, %N), electrical conductivity and organic content (%C, % organic matter), and changes to soil texture (lower % sand, higher % silt and clay). Variation in these changes across large spatial and temporal scales showed few to no relationships with bedrock/surface geology, glacial history, soils, topography, forest age class or integrity metrics, indicating the robustness of these changes across a wide range of environmental contexts and conditions. Comparisons to past primary forest conditions in the same region (1948–1973) showed even greater deficits in tree regeneration and increases in invasive abundance in post-ag forests than present-day comparisons suggested. The results indicate the significance of agricultural history as a major driver of long-term and large-scale forest change. Greater protection of primary forests is needed along with prioritizing the respective needs of these different forest land use history types for stewardship and restoration in the future.

SOCIAL HOUSING IN THE CONDITIONS OF PRESENT-DAY (on the example of Astana city)

The economic downturn and crisis in the country have decisively affected the housing problem, exacerbating the need for the formation of social housing. In this regard, there is a need to revise the existing classification of housing and introduce a new one-social housing, which contributes to the emergence of a new portrait of those in need. In the course of the research, typological groups of social housing and state housing construction programs in the Republic of Kazakhstan were studied. The purpose of the work is to identify the main directions and solutions of promising tasks of social housing in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Weakening of springtime Arctic ozone depletion with climate change

Abstract. In the Arctic stratosphere, the combination of chemical ozone depletion by halogenated ozone-depleting substances (hODSs) and dynamic fluctuations can lead to severe ozone minima. These Arctic ozone minima are of great societal concern due to their health and climate impacts. Owing to the success of the Montreal Protocol, hODSs in the stratosphere are gradually declining, resulting in a recovery of the ozone layer. On the other hand, continued greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cool the stratosphere, possibly enhancing the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) and, thus, enabling more efficient chemical ozone destruction. Other processes, such as the acceleration of the Brewer–Dobson circulation, also affect stratospheric temperatures, further complicating the picture. Therefore, it is currently unclear whether major Arctic ozone minima will still occur at the end of the 21st century despite decreasing hODSs. We have examined this question for different emission pathways using simulations conducted within the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative (CCMI-1 and CCMI-2022) and found large differences in the models' ability to simulate the magnitude of ozone minima in the present-day climate. Models with a generally too-cold polar stratosphere (cold bias) produce pronounced ozone minima under present-day climate conditions because they simulate more PSCs and, thus, high concentrations of active chlorine species (ClOx). These models predict the largest decrease in ozone minima in the future. Conversely, models with a warm polar stratosphere (warm bias) have the smallest sensitivity of ozone minima to future changes in hODS and GHG concentrations. As a result, the scatter among models in terms of the magnitude of Arctic spring ozone minima will decrease in the future. Overall, these results suggest that Arctic ozone minima will become weaker over the next decades, largely due to the decline in hODS abundances. We note that none of the models analysed here project a notable increase of ozone minima in the future. Stratospheric cooling caused by increasing GHG concentrations is expected to play a secondary role as its effect in the Arctic stratosphere is weakened by opposing radiative and dynamical mechanisms.

The influence of tunnel joints on the present-day condition of a grey cast iron tunnel

The present-day condition of a grey cast iron (GCI) tunnel was investigated numerically by means of a series of plane-strain geotechnical analyses that focused on establishing the influence of the modelling approach adopted to simulate the behaviour of longitudinal tunnel joints. The GCI tunnel lining was simulated in three different ways: (i) as a continuous lining; (ii) as a jointed lining adopting a simple joint model that neglects the presence of the joint bolts and (iii) as a jointed lining adopting a more sophisticated model that considers both the nonlinear response of the joint after opening and the contribution of the bolts to the ultimate capacity. The numerical results demonstrate that accounting for the tunnel joints has a considerable impact on the tunnel response. Significant differences are also observed in the results obtained with the two joint models, hence demonstrating the practical significance of employing an advanced model able to reproduce accurately the rotational behaviour of the joint. The drainage behaviour of the joints was also investigated and the numerical results indicate that drainage even through only the knee joints causes significantly more soil consolidation than that from a watertight tunnel and consequently, larger tunnel deformations and forces.

Spatially coherent variability in modern orographic precipitation produces asymmetric paleo-glacier extents in flowline models: Olympic Mountains, USA

Abstract. Glaciers are sensitive to temporal climate variability. Glacier sensitivity to spatial variability in climate has been much less studied. The Olympic Mountains of Washington state, USA, experience a pronounced orographic precipitation gradient, with modern annual precipitation ranging between ∼6500 and ∼500 mm water equivalent. In the Quinault valley, on the wet side of the range, a glacier extended onto the coastal plain, reaching a maximum position during the Early Wisconsin glaciation. On the dry side of the range, in the Elwha valley, there is no evidence of a large paleo-glacier during the Wisconsin glaciation. We hypothesize that asymmetry in the past glacier extent was driven by spatial variability in precipitation. To evaluate this hypothesis, we constrain the past precipitation gradient and model the glacier extent. We explore variability in observed and modeled precipitation gradients over timescales from 6 h to ∼100 yr. Across three datasets, basin-averaged precipitation in the Elwha is 54 % of that in the Quinault. Our analysis overwhelmingly indicates spatially coherent variability in precipitation across the peninsula. We conclude that the past precipitation gradient was likely similar to the modern gradient. We use a one-dimensional glacier flowline model, driven by sea level summer temperature and annual precipitation to approximate the glacier extent in the Quinault and Elwha valleys. We find several equilibrium states for the Quinault glacier at the mapped maximum position within paleoclimate constraints for cooling and drying, relative to present-day conditions. Assuming stable precipitation gradients, we model the Elwha glacier extent for the climates of these equilibria. At the warm end of the paleoclimate constraint (July average sea level temperature of 10.5 ∘C), a small valley glacier occurs in the high headwaters of the Elwha valley. Yet, for the cooler end of the allowable paleoclimate (July average sea level temperature of 7 ∘C), the Elwha glacier advances to a narrow notch in the valley, thickens, and rapidly extends far beyond the likely true maximum extent. Therefore, we suggest that the Early Wisconsin period was more likely to have been relatively warm because our models of the glacial extent are consistent with the past record of glaciation in both the Quinault valley and Elwha valley for warm conditions but inconsistent for cooler conditions. Alternatively, spatially variable drivers of ablation, including differences in cloudiness, could have contributed to past asymmetry in the glacier extent. Future research to constrain past precipitation gradients and evaluate their impact on glacier dynamics is needed to better interpret the climatic significance of past glaciation and to predict the future response of glaciers to climate change.

Modeling the effects of interior headland restoration on estuarine sediment transport processes in a marine-dominant estuary

The effects of interior headland restoration on estuarine sediment transport processes were assessed through process-based numerical modeling. Three proposed interior headland restoration scenarios in the Grand Bay estuary (Mississippi/Alabama) were modeled using Delft3D to understand impacts on suspended sediment concentrations, bed level morphology, and sediment fluxes under present-day conditions and a sea level rise (SLR) of 0.5 m, representing a high projection of SLR by the year 2050. Model results showed localized differences in bed levels near the restored features after a year of simulated morphologic change. The restored headland features acted as a sediment source to the immediate surroundings while also providing some non-significant sheltering effect of backshore shoals and marsh shorelines. Sediment fluxes were sensitive to wind directions and the presence of the restored headlands. However, regardless of wind direction, mean sea level, or restoration action, the greatest sediment fluxes were always export fluxes from the estuary, which were further increased with increased sea level. Suspended sediment concentrations were highly influenced by SLR in a non-linear manner. Sediment concentrations both increased and decreased depending on depth under SLR. Furthermore, SLR allowed for the suspension and deposition of sediments on the marsh platform. Overall, the influence of SLR was more impactful to changing sediment dynamics than the influence of the restoration features.

Holocene to near-future evolution of the southern Molise coast (Central Adriatic, Italy) under the influence of natural and anthropogenic controls

ABSTRACT Coastal areas are dynamic environments that easily change over time. To contribute to a better understanding of natural and anthropogenic factors that may have contributed in the past and/or control present-day and near-future coastline modifications, we have realised a chronologically arranged sequence of three geomorphological and geothematic maps focusing on the southern Molise coast (Adriatic coast, Italy). The first two maps concern the geomorphological and anthropogenic modifications that occurred respectively from the Holocene to the 1950s (Map 1), and from the 1950s to the Present (Map 2). The third map deals with the present-day conditions and near-future scenarios of coastal hazard considering the period from the Present to the year 2050. Results obtained and comparative observations of the three maps highlight the elevated shoreline mobility of the Biferno River alluvial coastal plain sector, and its high susceptibility to further coastal hazard due to erosion and inundation.

Chemodiversity of Cyanobacterial Toxins Driven by Future Scenarios of Climate Warming and Eutrophication.

Climate change and eutrophication are two environmental threats that can alter the structure of freshwater ecosystems and their service functions, but we know little about how ecosystem structure and function will evolve in future scenarios of climate warming. Therefore, we created different experimental climate scenarios, including present-day conditions, a 3.0 °C increase in mean temperature, and a "heatwaves" scenario (i.e., an increase in temperature variability) to assess the effects of climate change on phytoplankton communities under simultaneous stress from eutrophication and herbicides. We show that the effects of climate warming, particularly heatwaves, are associated with elevated cyanobacterial abundances and toxin production, driven by a change from mainly nontoxic to toxic Microcystis spp. The reason for higher cyanobacterial toxin concentrations is likely an increase in abundances because under the dual pressures of climate warming and eutrophication individual Microcystis toxin-producing ability decreased. Eutrophication and higher temperatures significantly increased the biomass of Microcystis, leading to an increase in the cyanobacterial toxin concentrations. In contrast, warming alone did not produce higher cyanobacterial abundances or cyanobacterial toxin concentrations likely due to the depletion of the available nutrient pool. Similarly, the herbicide glyphosate alone did not affect abundances of any phytoplankton taxa. In the case of nutrient enrichment, cyanobacterial toxin concentrations were much higher than under warming alone due to a strong boost in biomass of potential cyanobacterial toxin producers. From a broader perspective our study shows that in a future warmer climate, nutrient loading has to be reduced if toxic cyanobacterial dominance is to be controlled.

FORMATION OF STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN MASTERING PATHOMORPHOLOGY DISCIPLINE

Abstract. Motivation is an essential factor of human activity, which, in turn, determines the development and efficiency of activities, including the educational process. A contradiction was revealed between the objective need to form the motivation of cognitive activity of students of a medical higher education institution (HEI) through the introduction of interactive technologies considering both the internal features of learning and external requirements for medical university-educated specialists – on the one hand, and the lack of scientifically grounded technology for forming the motivation of a medical HEI students’ cognitive activity using the latest systems – on the other hand.&#x0D; The main factor influencing students’ motivation to study is mastering of knowledge, skills and abilities that will lay the groundwork of their future professional activities. Students engaged in research are motivated to self-development and achievement. These are the ones that make students work hard, solve complex problems, engage in self-education, and overcome difficulties to achieve the highest results.&#x0D; The article presents the ways and methods of formation the students’ motivation when mastering the Pathomorphology discipline.&#x0D; In order to improve ways and methods of students’ motivating, we analysed scientific sources on the specifics of professional and educational activity motivation, the principles of educational process organisation at the Pathological Anatomy Department.&#x0D; Under trying circumstances of today, every applicant for higher education has the opportunity to obtain a full range of information on the Pathomorphology discipline on the Pathological Anatomy Department website and in the university repository for productive self-training and mastering practical skills and abilities provided by the discipline’s programme. To increase motivation in the study of pathomorphology and the level of assimilation of the material. The department uses general and special innovative methods that depend on the specifics of studying the discipline: explanatory-illustrative (informational-receptive), contextual, problematic, research, heuristic. Different strategies should be used to encourage students to become more intrinsically motivated, developing their sense of competence and control over their learning, and to motivate students with interesting content.&#x0D; Under present-day conditions, teaching Pathomorphology requires constant improvement in compliance with medicine development level and the ability to combine classical approaches to teaching with new learning concepts. The decline in traditional teaching methods efficiency, which is observed when considering the peculiarities of students’ learning activities, requires correction and implementation of modern innovative teaching methods. Improving the methods of learning motivation will help to increase the level of study material mastery. Applying new information technology and technical aids in distance and blended learning makes it possible to demonstrate and study morphological changes in pathological processes and diseases, which in turn will maximise the level of learning material mastering. The variety of illustrative material (macro preparations, micro preparations, breadboard models, 3-D models, training charts and diagrams, videos) taken in a whole lays the foundation of basic knowledge. Engaging students in research work is an important factor in learning activities motivating.