River Shore Research Articles

URBAN UPGRADE IN BISKRA’S SHANTYTOWNS SAMPLE: THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF SIDI GHAZEL AND SIDI ROUAG (ALGERIA)

The shantytowns or slum area started to appear in the urban fabric within town zones in Algeria during the colonial period. This situation endured after the independence, in particular during the seventies of the last century. The reasons : a population growth and an increasing urbanization in big and intermediate cities, in addition to the industrial establishment resulting from the development choices. This latter wasn’t supported by balanced development. The impact was obvious on the urban development of the Algerian cities. Hence, the slum areas increased outside the town urban perimeter, where the public lands and the lands inconvenient for urbanization such as river shores, old quarries and hills. The citizen, in cause of that, stood in a permanent conflict with the relevant authorities, in particular municipalities, to settle the situation or to remove definitively the house. Hence, this situation leads to a degradation in the urban fabric and planning of numerous cities. The Governorate of Biskra was also affected by this phenomenon starting from the 1970s. It results, among other reasons, from its elevation to the status of Governorate in 1974 following the second administrative structuring in Algeria after the independence.

Tectonics and architectonics of the network of historical centers of architectural and urban planning culture in the ethnic regions of Ukraine

In the article, from the standpoint of taking into account the natural and urbanized environment, the features of the formation and structure of a network of small historical settlements – carriers of the architectural and urban planning culture of Ukraine are considered. In particular, a comparative analysis of the location of 262 settlements in 12 ethnic regions of Ukraine with a network of underground discontinuous dislocations was carried out. The analysis showed that in 12 ethnic regions of Ukraine (Bukovyna, Volyn, Halychyna, Donbass, Transcarpathia, Crimea, Podillia, Polissia, Naddnipryanshchyna, Severshchyna, Slobozhanshchyna, Tavria) the network of tectonic faults has a different configuration and density. At the same time, only a small number of places with historical buildings coincide with fault lines. The analysis showed that the choice of places for the formation of historical settlements was not random; there were tendencies in their attraction to the shores of rivers and seas, as well as in the desire to avoid underground tectonic faults and the corresponding geopathic zones. The localization of the vast majority of architectural and urban planning culture centres’ in special healthy places confirmed the need to take into account tectonics in ethnic regions and non-traditional knowledge and methods of dowsing in the analysis of historical settlements. In addition, it was found that most of these settlements are located on inter-main areas, remote from dense urbanization zones. This testifies to the initial desire of ethnic culture, on the one hand, for isolation from the processes of urbanization, and on the other hand, for its own preservation and creation of its own network of regional culture centres’ that opposes the mass culture of modern civilization. As a result, proposals were substantiated on the need to take into account the original architectonic and tectonic structure of a network of small provincial cities and towns, villages, temples and monasteries with signs of a historical architectural and urban environment during the post-war restoration and further sustainable development of settlements and territories of Ukraine.

Comprehensive condition assessment of the black-backed sea shad (<i>Alosa kessleri</i>, Grimm, 1887) in the Lower Volga

The purpose of the research is to assess the condition of the black-backed sea shad (Alosa kessleri, Grimm, 1887) in the Lower Volga according to parasitological, microbiological, toxicological, and biochemical parameters, and to determine the correlation between the above during the spawning. Materials and methods. The research object was the black-backed sea shad caught with a river shore seine. Sampling for comprehensive studies was performed from 15 black-backed sea shads during the spawning migration in 2017. The fish were studied by the method of partial parasitological dissection (the protozoa class was not studied). The fish were collected and dissected, and cameral treatment was performed per Bykhovskaya-Pavlovskaya method. Microbiological studies were conducted by common methods. Species identification of identified helminths and microorganisms was performed according to standard identification guides. Toxicological studies included the determination of lead, cadmium, mercury, and petroleum hydrocarbons in the muscle tissue of the studied shad specimens by atomic absorption. In fish muscles, we studied the number of total lipids by the Zollner method, and water-soluble protein by the spectrometric Warburg-Christian method. The Fulton's condition factor was used for fatness determination. The obtained results were processed statistically. Results and discussion. The results of the comprehensive studies of commercial species of the black-backed sea shad (Alosa kessleri, Grimm, 1887) showed that the parasite fauna of fish was distinguished by a poor species composition as contracted with a qualitative microbiota biodiversity. Infection of the black-backed sea shad proceeded at the asymptomatic carrier level, which indicated a balanced relationship between parasites and the host. The levels of accumulated toxicants in shads were close to the characteristic values for fish in the Volga-Caspian basin. On average, the stock of energy resources in the studied fish had a positive trend in relation to the previous research period. The study results of the black-backed sea shad during the spawning showed the correlation of parasitological, microbiological, toxicological, and biochemical parameters that comprehensively affect the general physiological state of the studied fish.

GIS-assisted Flood-risk Potential Mapping of Ilorin and its Environs, Kwara State, Nigeria

The incessant reoccurrence of flooding disasters across Nigeria has mandated an urgent outlook on flood-risk management techniques. Ilorin and its environs have suffered immensely from annual flood reoccurrence. This study aims to assess flood risk within Ilorin and its environs and proffer adequate flood mitigation strategies that governments and policymakers can adopt to placate future flooding events within the state. Satellite imagery data were acquired and analyzed for flood-risk assessment of the area. Ten highly influential flood causative factors were synergized using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making techniques in this research; they are Land Surface Temperature, Elevation, Soil Moisture Index, and Distance to Stream, Drainage Density, Stream Power Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Land Use Land Cover, Slope, and Topographic Wetness Index. Findings showed that approximately 47.2% of the study area had low flood risk, while moderate and high flood-risk zones occupied 33.5% and 19.29%, respectively. Most parts of Ilorin and its environs are safe from flood disasters; only about one-quarter of the total area under investigation lies in the high flood-risk zones; these areas mostly fall within the shores of major streams, rivers, and dams within the state. A plot of previous flood cases in the state placed the affected areas in the high and moderate zones of flood risk, confirming the efficacy of geospatial techniques in flood-risk assessment. It is hoped that this study's findings and recommendations can be implemented to prevent future devastating flooding occurrences within the state.

Microplastic pollution in rivers of the Adriatic Sea basin in Montenegro: Impact on pollution of the Montenegrin coastline

Concern regarding microplastic (MP) pollution in aquatic ecosystems has increased in recent years with growing awareness of the environmental harm that it causes. While most studies have focused on seas and oceans, knowledge of MP occurrence in freshwater sediments is limited. This study investigated MP concentrations at shore sediments of the Zeta, Morača, and Bojana rivers in Montenegro. The MP concentration in the studied samples varied depending on the river, location, and sampling season. MP abundance in river shore sediments varied between mean values of 145 ± 110 MPs/kg for the Zeta, 169 ± 113 MPs/kg for the Morača, and 180 ± 53.5 MPs/kg dry sediment for the Bojana. In comparison, the mean MP abundance in the three rivers combined was 163.6 ± 96.1 MPs/kg of dry sediment. The identified MPs were mainly fibres and fragments of blue, red and clear color, 0.5–1 mm in size, and mainly composed of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide and polyethylene terephthalate. The main contribution of this study is that it provides new insight into MP abundance in freshwater sediments of rivers, where the studied rivers were identified as a potential important sink and source of MP on the Montenegrin coast.

Assessment of Natural Disasters Impact on Cultural Mayan Heritage Spaces in Remotes Villages of Guatemala: Case of Black Salt

In the town of Sacapulas located in the mountainous country of Guatemala, there is a constant risk of natural disasters. Floods and landslides occur frequently, resulting in the loss of human lives and cultural aspects. Specifically, in the region, the creation of black salt is the most affected. This resource has been created since the time of the Mayans on the salt beach surrounding the town. However, from the 1940s onwards, this industry has shrunk, impacting the sustainability of indigenous people. After conducting several area and space analyses, it was found that the black salt beach has evolved considerably since the last research conducted in 2001. The shape of the space has been reduced, while the use of the area has been modified by the people of the town, who specifically use the hot springs located below the river shore of the beach. This new usage can coexist with the Salt making industry is only made by a few people now, there are few working in this industry, and they only work in the dry season. The result is an opportunity for economic growth and an increase in tourism if the area handled properly by managing the land and planning ahead.

First hydrological study on the seasonal occurrence of glyphosate, glufosinate, and their metabolites in the Red River system, North Vietnam

We report the spatial and seasonal distribution of organophosphorus herbicides, namely glyphosate (GLYP), glufosinate (GLUF), and their respective metabolites aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA) and 3-(methylphosphinico)-propionic acid (MPPA), in the Red River system (North Vietnam), a major water body in Southeast Asia. The four compounds were measured at 34 sampling stations located from upstream to the estuary during the dry (March) and wet (July) seasons in 2019. Large seasonal variations in herbicide concentrations were measured for the four analytes from upstream to the estuary, with the highest range of variations observed during the wet season. In the surface waters of the Red River, the maximum concentrations of GLUF (234 ng L–1), GLYP (565 ng L–1) and its metabolite AMPA (1329 ng L–1), occurred in the wet season. These values however, are lower than reported in other rivers worldwide. In contrast, the estimated fluxes of these compounds in the Red River water basin were very high during the wet season, i.e., up to 121, 50.2, 284, and 186 kg d–1 for GLYP, GLUF, AMPA, and MPPA, respectively. During both seasons, we observed correlations between the four compounds and ammonium (NH4+), suggesting that both nitrogen containing fertilizers and herbicides were applied in areas close to the river shore. The concentrations and fluxes of the herbicides GLYP, GLUF, and their metabolites determined in the Red River were compared to those recorded in other world river systems, such as the Garonne River (France), thus highlighting the importance of monitoring these compounds in surface waters.

Marine debris detection using a multi-feature pyramid network

ABSTRACT Marine Debris is the submerged and floating litter that majorly consists of plastics or other manmade polymers that are either intentionally discarded or unknowingly lost along shores of beaches, rivers or other waterbodies. Significant water pollution is caused due to such untreated waste released into the oceans, specifically in the coastal regions. The recent years have seen an immense rise in marine debris, which has created a necessity to reduce the amount of human effort and led to an increase in the demand for automatic marine debris detection. This paper proposes a multi-feature pyramid network (MFPN) of three subnetworks feature extractor, feature pyramid and pooling block that are concatenated to form a single end-to-end network for the task of automatic marine debris detection from multispectral imagery. Further, the feature extractor network is initialized with the pre-trained weights of Resnet-101 to achieve high performance with lower computational resources and normalization is used to reduce the bias of the model. The proposed model is tested on the Sentinel-2-based marine debris benchmark dataset MARIDA and outperforms the state-of-the-art architectures in the field by reporting an mIOU, Pixel Accuracy and F1-Score of 0.71, 0.84 and 0.80, respectively.

Isolation, Characterization of B. subtilis from Song River Shore and their Application to Wastewater Treatment

Treatment of wastewater has been a hotspot of research since ages. Emerging technologies and methodologies have been postulated to resolve the issue worldwide. Almost 97.2% of our earth is covered with water bodies, out of which 12,500 water bodies are situated in India. As per the statistics, nearly 70% water bodies are polluted in Southern Asia. Presence of emerging pollutants exacerbate the quality of flowing water. Amongst all possible ways, microbial bioremediation has been considered one of the most thriving methods to treat wastewater. This research will manifest about the isolation of B. subtilis from soil followed by its characterisation and action in treatment of wastewater which was collected from industry. From the study, it was concluded that B. subtilis holds the potential of degradation. Significant decrease in values of BOD and COD were achieved.

Here and There: Sites of Philosophy

As Cavell's draft preface makes clear, the title of this first posthumous volume of previously uncollected essays alludes to a metaphor by which he had attempted to express his conception of the nature of philosophy. “Here” and “there” are the near and far shores between which the “river of philosophy” has to take and modify its way. In earlier writing, he presented the near shore as marking one mode of philosophy's aspiration to perspicuity—that of logical or grammatical rigor. The farther shore represented another, literary mode—that of the aphoristic, a register of Wittgenstein's prose that exhibits clarity in a way that acknowledges the obscurity (the metaphysical seductions and self-alienations) from which philosophical clarity always emerges, and against which it measures its value.In this new collection, Cavell prefers to emphasize that the near shore embodies the ordinary domain in which we exist and from which we philosophize, whereas the far shore embodies the fervor of aspiration with and toward which we philosophize. In other words, he stresses that the river of philosophy (insofar as it differentiates the two shores and ensures their communication) both creates a distance and allows its overcoming—a distance between the actual ordinary and the eventual ordinary, between our life with words and thought as it currently announces itself, and that life re-envisaged, revitalized, remade in the name of its higher, unattained but attainable state or condition. And such self-overcoming is never concluded, any more than a river's shores can overcome their separateness without annihilating the river, which can continue to flow only if it continues to inhabit the varying distance it creates and fills between both shores, whose inconstant constancy or mutable solidity are the conditions of its own possibility.Since one would expect a metaphor to accommodate multiple meanings, Cavell's projection of his metaphor into this new context not only seems appropriate; it also invites his readers to acknowledge him by projecting it further. One might, for example, align the near and far shores with the division between Anglo-American and what are still called “continental” traditions of philosophy. Or one might view its initial introduction as itself a projection of Heraclitus's notorious remark that one cannot step into the same river twice—a projection accounting for that impossibility by suggesting that stepping into these waters is always a step away from our actual and toward our eventual condition (as the kinds of beings who can be caught up in currents of philosophizing). But if Cavell's metaphor of philosophy is in this sense pregnant (with meanings, with possibilities), then the clarity it offers is certainly of the literary kind, and so embodies a fervor of aspiration whose necessary presence in their work many philosophers would very much like to deny.

LAKE CLEANING ROBOT

Generally, conventional methods are manual based and it is used for collection of water debris, trash, plastic and all other types of impurities, which are floating on water bodies or by collecting this impurity by means of boat, thrash skimmer etc. And removed this impurity near the river shore and disposed of it. But this conventional method requires more manpower; hence this is risky, costly and time- consuming. By considering this all remote operated floating river cleaning machines are more efficient than conventional methods and also this is effective and eco- friendly.This machine is remote operated so manpower is not required at all. So this machine is really advantageous for reducing the water pollution on Ganga river which is caused by ‘Kumbhmela’ And also Government of India has taken charge to clean river and pond due to increasing water pollution , and so that they invest huge capital for many river cleaning project like ‘Namami Ganga’, ‘Narmada bachao’. And also developed many projects in various cities like Ahmedabad, Varanasi etc. By taking this into consideration, this Remote operated river cleaning machine is designed to clean river floating surface. This machine also includes Ultrasonic sensor and Wifi Camera. This sensor will collect data and send it to the server for real time analysis and AI will control the boat functionality. User is able to access the data using his android phone or web application.

Himalayan Elecampane, Inula racemosa (Asteraceae), in North America

Inula racemosa is reported as new to Canada, with occurrences in Ontario and Québec. It is also reported as new for several states in the United States. It was first reported for North America in 2020, based on a 2017 collection in Vermont. Earlier collections from Québec (2004) and Michigan (2014) were subsequently found, however. Its distinctive appearance led to the identification of additional records on the web page iNaturalist, the postings often initially misidentified as the common I. helenium. Almost two dozen North American occurrences are now known from Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Ontario (the largest cluster of occurrences), Québec, Washington, and Wisconsin. Several of these populations contain hundreds to thousands of plants. All populations are considered to likely be of recent origin. At least some represent escapes from cultivation for medicinal or ornamental purposes. Inula racemosa may show a preference for calcareous substrate and river shore sites in the wild. It does not appear to have substantial potential to be invasive into native plant communities.

Assessment of radioactivity levels in shore sediments along the coastline of the Orange River, Oranjemund, Namibia

The objective of present study was to evaluate the activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K and radiological hazards due to gamma exposure of shore sediment along the coastline of the Orange River, Oranjemund, Namibia. A total of 20 shore sediment samples were collected along the coastline of the Orange River. Shore sediment samples were analyzed using a Canberra Gamma Spectrometric detector inter phased with a multichannel analyzer (MCA) that was well calibrated for energy and efficiency respectively. The mean activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K for the shore sediment samples were 63.46 ± 9.83 Bqkg−1, 54.88 ± 5.03 Bqkg−1 and 416.99 ± 57.85 Bqkg−1 respectively. The mean activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K in the shore sediment samples were slightly higher than world reference levels. Also, the radiological hazards parameters of absorbed dose rates, annual effective dose equivalent (outdoor) and the excess lifetime cancer risk for the Orange River shore sediment samples were calculated. The mean values calculated for absorbed dose rates (63.98 nGy/h), annual effective dose equivalent (outdoor) (0.78 mSv/y) and excess lifetime cancer risk (2.73) were higher than the recommended limits, therefore long term radiation exposure of the local population along the coastline of the Orange River may pose significant health threat from radiological point of view.

SIMULATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION USING ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY AND MODELING

Abstract. In Khartoum/Sudan the consumption of water per capita in urban areas far below the real need and WHO standard and huge volume of untreated municipal wastes water and industrial waste is discharged directly to an upstream from the town’s sewage water and treatment plants. Only 5% of resident received waste water treatment services, and 95% of waste discharge in unregulated dumps and injected into ground, these leading to pollution of the atmosphere, surface and ground waters, and poses a serious environmental hazard downstream. The main objective of this paper to Simulate pollutant produce from water sector demands being prime indicators of water and environment challenge, using WEAP model, and GIS software.The methodology used in this study to identified appropriate indicators and creates a model that represents water resource status, and pollution generator sectors for a specific system boundary.Khartoum satellite Landsat Mosaic Image (copy write), and Digital elevation model, (DEM) for Sudan, from Global ESRI map, and Land cover map, acquired from Sudanese remote sensing and seismology authority are used in this study to create maps.The Basin Catchment model WEAP21 system scenarios with Remote Sensing, and GIS predicted response and evaluated water deterioration risk quantity and quality related to river Nile catchment area in Khartoum. The model software selected provides decision makers with watershed environmental response factors, with allocation for sustainable water concern lower River Nile catchments.The model approach across user was taken into consideration to ensure withdrawals, assumed improvement in consumption, researcher assumed building a reservoir to improve quality, and reduces people suffering from water shortage, building expansion to reform waste, with reference time from 2015 and projected year by 2030.To fulfill objectives the models was used for pollutant transport from upstream to watershed, to evaluate the effect of applying alternative management practices by development of different Scenarios.Water quality data are collected from Ground water central laboratories, also from Khartoum state data base center. While Waste water data collected from waste water treatment plants in the towns, and from constructional and environmental laboratories, centre. Also, field samples were collected from discharge point in lagoons near river shore and from the cross point of discharge into the river. The study result show how satellite technology combined with local monitoring, GIS, and advanced modeling system can be used to investigate the improved accuracy of the model results, and to improve operations and performance of service providers downstream. The result indicated that scenarios can be developed to explore options for the future and sustainability, and implication of various policies can evaluated. For environmental carrying capacities, the model results indicated that, 90% of water consuming by sector demands end at the receptors as waste water need to be treated. The pollutant load produced by those waste water treatment plants were measured and simulated including pollutant (BOD, COD, TSS, Phosphate, Nitrate, Total organic carbon, heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu), which in turn affects the quality of water resources available for direct use. The improvements in water collection systems affect water supply and wastewater treatment, while the improvement in waste water treatment plants after built new environmental expansion and technology may reduce the flow of waste water to receptors 50% by 2030. In order to ensure a long term development of water resources, and to avoid water becoming a limiting factor in the development of dependent activities, we recommend that country should develop environmental pollution reform and management policy based on an integrated management which associates management of surface and underground waters, qualitative and quantitative measures and management of use by various water sector.

Isolation, Characterization, and Optimization Studies of Bacterial Pigments

Recent concern for human safety and environmental protection has rekindled interest in natural pigment sources. In comparison to synthetic pigments, microbial pigments show better biodegradability and environmental compatibility and are used in a variety of applications ranging from food to cosmetics. The areas of attention for economical pigment synthesis include the identification of novel microbiological sources and improvement of process parameters. The purpose of this research was to screen and identify microbial isolates capable of generating pigments with antimicrobial activity from a variety of soil samples. A total of six pigment-producing bacterial sps were able to isolate from various soil samples such as bore well digging sites, river shores, river beds, forest areas, dumping yards using the enrichment culture technique. All the isolates were morphologically and biochemically identified as Micrococcus sp producing two-color pigments i.e., yellow and orange, Serratia sp producing red and pink color pigments, Salinococcus sp producing orange color pigment, and Exiguobacterium sp producing yellow color pigment respectively. During optimization studies maximum pigment production was observed at pH 7, agitation at 90 rpm (rotations per minute) and 120 rpm, the temperature of 30°C and 37°C, inoculum size up to 2% with NaCl concentration of 2%, 4%, and 6% respectively. Optimization of nutritional parameters such as carbon source and nitrogen source it was found that glucose (1%) and yeast extract (0.1%) work the best. Extraction of the pigment from the fermented broth was done by solvent-solvent extraction method. UV-Visible spectrophotometry and Silica gel Thin-layer chromatography was used to detect the presence of carotene and prodigiosin in the extracted bacterial pigment. The crude bacterial pigments were tested for antimicrobial activity against clinical pathogens including E. coli, Klebsiella sp, Bacillus sp, Staphylococcus sp, and pseudomonas sp respectively. Among all the isolates, pigments of Micrococcus sp and Salinococcus sp showed comparatively good results. Further purification of the pigment will lead to discovering a promising drug in the pharmaceutical industry.

Доля як архетип і як вибір

We analyse lyrical texts by Lina Kostenko with historiosophical character and these containing the ontological and, at the same time, autobiographical elements. The author of this study assumes that each of these lines has its own sources, image system, and content dominants. The poetess constructs the life model of the lyrical hero using the topos of bazar as seen in historical songs and dumas, where the fate is decided by the internal conscious choice. The choice of the fate, paid by the life, is interpreted as a modification of the situation such as the “Cossack Freedom.” This interpretation of the mythologem of the freedom in lyrical texts by Lina Kostenko is based on the works by Mykola Kostomarov, Oleksandr Potebnia, Mylhailo Hrushevskyi, as well as on Taras Shevchenko’s poetry. At the same time, we see the image of the fate as containing a sociological aspect — as a type of protest against suppressing the freedom of the will and action in a totalitarian system. The historiosophical line in the lyrics is analysed when considering the verse “The Heraclitus’ River,” which embodies the ideas of fluidity of water and constancy of a shore. These are later formulated into the aphorism: “Everything flows but not everything disappears upon the river shores.” We also pay separate attention to the fact that the poetess sees herself as the heir and the follower of the philosophy of Hryhoriy Skovoroda with his concept of self-knowledge and his creation of “The Garden of Divine Songs.” Lina Kostenko inscribed an individual human fate, that of the family/tribe, people, mankind — into a world flow.

Sounds and associated morphology of Hypostomus species from South‐East Brazil

AbstractHypostomus is the most diverse genus within Loricariidae. These catfish species exhibit a very conservative morphology with relatively few external characteristics that differ between different species. In consequence, there is a challenge to understand the distinction of species of this genus. This study aims to describe the sounds produced by ten species of Hypostomus from Araguari River and Paraopeba River (Minas Gerais, Brazil), to examine whether acoustic features could be used to distinguish between the species, and to understand the corresponding sound production mechanisms. The fish were recorded making sounds by holding them in hand underwater, in a glass tank on the river shore next to where they had been caught. All ten species produced sounds, and no effect of body size on acoustic features was observed. Furthermore, the species could not be distinguished using acoustic features. Likewise, all the studied species exhibited similar bony ridges on the dorsal processes of the pectoral spine. Since the sounds produced by the fish do not seem to exhibit interspecific specificity, they do not appear to have a role in behaviours requiring conspecific recognition, such as reproduction. Sound production may have an alarm, distress, or acoustic aposematism function warning predators of the presence of pectoral spines, which have an anti‐predatory function in this clade.

The effect of river regulation on groundwater flow patterns and the hydrological conditions of an aapa mire in northern Finland

Study regionNorthern Finland. Study focusThis study examined long-term (decade-scale) hydrological and ecological consequences of dam construction and subsequent river regulation on the environmentally protected Viiankiaapa mire. Pre-regulation floods affected the hydrology of the riverbanks and the Viiankiaapa mire, which contain habitats of flood-dependent or groundwater-influenced ecosystems. Groundwater discharge and flow patterns and pre-regulation flood coverage were simulated to investigate the impact of river regulation on the mire area. New hydrological insights for the regionThe flood models indicate that regular flooding covered the westernmost part of the mire before the regulation. Groundwater modelling suggests that the regulation has raised the locations of springs in the river shore, reduced the hydraulic gradient towards the river, raised the groundwater table in the river banks and the western part of the Viiankiaapa mire, and increased groundwater discharge in the mire. The groundwater flow models and the stable isotopic composition of water indicate that the constructed dam changed the groundwater flow directions close to dam. The ecological effects of regulation were mixed: the studied flood-dependent plant species declined due to the reduction in floods after regulation. Conversely, the occurrence of Hamatocaulis vernicosus and Hamatocaulis lapponicus appears to be related to the high water table and groundwater discharge areas in the mire, suggesting suitable habitat for these species may have expanded after the regulation.

Soil chemical properties and mineral nutrition of Latvian accessions of Trifolium fragiferum, a crop wild relative plant species

The aim of the present study was to compare soil chemical composition and aspects of mineral nutrition of several accessions from different geographically isolated sites in Latvia of Trifolium fragiferum L., a crop wild relative plant species. Eight geographically isolated micropopulations of T. fragiferum in Latvia were identified, and material was sampled for analysis of plant-available mineral nutrient concentrations in soil and mineral nutrient concentrations in leaf tissues. Micropopulations of T. fragiferum were associated with rivers, lakes and the sea, thus also outside typical coastal or inland-located salt-affected grassland habitats. Soil concentration of plant-available mineral nutrients showed significant variation between different sites, ranging from 59% for N to 193% for Ca. Variation in mineral element concentration in plant leaf tissues was relatively lower. Multivariate analysis showed that sites with similar localization on river shores or in coastal areas had similar characteristics, as these were grouped together according to both soil mineral nutrient availability as well as leaf tissue mineral element concentrations. T. fragiferum can be characterized as a species able to maintain mineral homeostasis in leaf tissues irrespective of large variability in soil plant-available mineral nutrient concentrations and different levels of soil pH. Together with general resilience to environmental constraints, this allows to predict a relatively good conservation status of T. fragiferum in Latvia in spite of rather limited number and size of the geographically isolated micropopulations.

ВАГОВІ СИСТЕМИ ДАВНІХ ЦИВІЛІЗАЦІЙ КОРЕЇ ТА ЯПОНІЇ

Ancient civilizations in Central Asia and the Far East have appeared after a long period of developing social relations, material and spiritual culture of the population of this vast region of the Earth. In Central Asia, economic development was based on animal husbandry, and in the Far East, on land cultivation. Continuous growth of production and trade took place simultaneously with state formation that continued over millenniums. First proto – state formations of this region have created unified length, weight and volume measures that were indispensable for a successful economic development. The needs of trade necessitated the advent of monetary units that long have been closely related to weight measures. Gradually, every state saw the adoption of unified monetary – weight systems. It has long been known that the development of production and trade, social processes, state building takes place in those regions where several types of economy coexist. The type of farm is determined by natural conditions. There are several natural areas in the Far East. The first is the forest zone of Siberia and Primorie, where the population was engaged in hunting and forestry. The second – the area of steppes and deserts of Manchuria, Mongolia, the plateaus of Tibet, suitable for livestock. The third is the area of the Yellow River and Yangtze River valleys, where irrigated agriculture developed and the Chinese began cultivating rice for the first time in the world. Fourth – the area of the Yellow Sea coast, the coast of Korea, the Japanese islands, where the population was engaged in sea fishing and trade. In the interaction and complementarity of all these forms of economy arose the civilizations of the Far East. In the Far East, the geographical location of the Korean Peninsula is compared with Italy, the Japanese Islands – with England and Ireland. It is on the shores of navigable rivers, the Yellow Sea coast, the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese islands for thousands of years the most intensive development of production, domestic and foreign trade, and in modern times there was an industrial revolution. This work describes the development and mutual influence of weight systems used by ancient civilizations in Central Asia and the Far East in the course of international trade. Weight norms and their correlation with each other and with monetary denominations in every separate country have been determined.