Special Geographical Conditions Research Articles

Fatigue fracture analysis of brake disc bolts under continuous braking condition

In this research, the bolts fracture problem of brake disc under a section downhill of the Lanzhou-Wulumuqi railway (LW) line has been studied via experimental and fatigue analysis. The physical and chemical properties of the bolts were examined to analyze the fracture causes. In addition, the LW line condition was investigated and fitted to obtain the altitude-velocity histories. The finite element model of the brake disc was established with the thermo-mechanical coupling method to obtain the temperature and stress variation. Results revealed that the material defect was inexistence at the thread root, and the bolt performances meet relevant standards. Due to special geographical conditions in LW line, the train have to brake continually. The bolt fracture of the brake disc is caused mainly by high temperature during the continuous braking.

Shading, Dusting and Incorrect Positioning of Photovoltaic Modules as Important Factors in Performance Reduction

The amount of solar radiation reaching the front cover of a photovoltaic module is crucial for its performance. A number of factors must be taken into account at the design stage of the solar installation, which will ensure maximum utilization of the potential arising from the location. During the operation of a photovoltaic installation, it is necessary to limit the shading of the modules caused by both dust and shadowing by trees or other objects. The article presents an analysis of the impact of the radiation reaching the surface of the radiation module on the efficiency obtained. Each of the analyzed aspects is important for obtaining the greatest amount of energy in specific geographical conditions. Modules contaminated by settling dust will be less efficient than those without deposits. The results of experimental studies of this effect are presented, depending on the amount of impurities, including their origins and morphologies. In practice, it is impossible to completely eliminate shadowing caused by trees, uneven terrain, other buildings, chimneys, or satellite dishes, and so on, which limits the energy of solar radiation reaching the modules. An analysis of partial shading for the generated power was also carried out. An important way for maximizing the incoming radiation is the correct positioning of the modules relative to the sun. It is considered optimal to position the modules relative to the light source, that is, the sun, so that the rays fall perpendicular to the surfaces of the modules. Any deviation in the direction of the rays results in a loss in the form of a decrease in the available power of the module. The most beneficial option would be to use sun-tracking systems, but they represent an additional investment cost, and their installations require additional space and maintenance. Therefore, the principle was adopted that stationary systems should be oriented to the south, using the optimal angle of inclination of the module surface appropriate for the location. This article presents the dependence of the decrease in obtained power on the angle of deviation from the optimal one.

The deep historical roots of modern culture: A comparative perspective

This paper presents evidence showing that there have been since antiquity two opposed types of institutional systems: one resembling central planning and present in ancient China, ancient Egypt, the Inca Empire and other territorial states, and another one with strong market institutions, protection of property rights present mostly in city-states, not just in the Mediterranean but throughout the world. Evidence is presented that these institutional differences dating back to the antiquity are shaped by special geographical conditions. These institutional differences can be seen to be at the root of the two cultural systems in today's world: individualism and collectivism. These cultural differences have effects on economic performance and institutions in today's world.

Sero-prevalence of Leptospira spp. in Household and Stray Dogs by Microscopic Agglutination Test

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of worldwide significance in human beings and many animals. This zoonotic disease causes infection in dogs and other pet animals and these animals can influence human’s health. Given the unknown prevalence of leptospirosis in dogs in our area, this study was performed to investigate the sero-epidemiology of leptospirosis and evaluate the seroprevalence of Leptospira serovars in both household and stray dogs by microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Methods: Serum samples of 90 dogs in two household and stray groups (45 dogs for each group) were collected. Specimens were examined by MAT (in accordance with the procedure recommended by WHO) against antigens of serovars Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, Hardjo, Autumnalis, and Ballum. Results: In total, 6.7% of (n=6) dogs (1 stray and 5 household dogs) had a serum titer of 1:100 or more against Leptospira serovars. Dominant serovars were Canicola (8.9%), Grippotyphosa (2.2%), and Pomona (2.2%), respectively. The antibody titer against more than one serovar was observed only in one dog. The sero-prevalence was 11.1% in household dogs and 2.2% in stray dogs. Since 4 pet dogs had been vaccinated recently, it seems that the actual percentage of infection in household dogs must be just 2.2% and actual infection in dogs including stray dogs is approximately 4.4% in Tabriz. Conclusion: Fortunately, the rate of infection in Tabriz is low and this can be due to special geographical and climatic conditions, regular and annual vaccination of household dogs against this disease, and lack of suitable conditions for the growth and survival of such micro-organisms in the environment

Problems of Preventing Crimes Related to the Killing by a Mother of her Newborn Child in Russia: Geographical and Criminological Analysis

This article focuses on the study of the specifics of crimes committed in the regions of the Russian Federation related to the killing by a mother of her newborn child, and the solution of problems of preventing such criminal acts in urban and rural settlements of the country. It also compares the positions of foreign and domestic scholars on the number of neonaticide in Russia and in Western countries. The uniqueness and novelty of the study lies in the application of geographical methods in the study of neonaticide in the territory of the Russian Federation. These methods allowed us to take a fresh look at such criminal acts and to obtain interesting results. Most often, neonaticide was recorded in those regions with a low level of income and low wages of the population. Geographically, neonaticide has spread in industrial areas of country, areas with a high population density and in areas along which there are main roads and navigable rivers. The article provides an analysis of a number of reasons that impede the prevention of neonaticide both in individual regions and throughout the country as a whole. The authors consider the lack of proper education and family upbringing of the younger generation, the low financial situation of the population and the absence of federal targeted programs for the development and strengthening of the family and the prevention of neonaticide as pressing problems in crime prevention. The authors propose ideas for improving the practice of preventing neonaticide, including taking into account the special geographical conditions of the Russian Federation.

Using Shallow Platform Drilling Technology to Tap the Reserves of the Below Constructed Area of Fuyu Oilfield: Taking Chengping Block 12 as an Example

The special geographical conditions in the below constructed area of the surface have caused the poor oil-water well condition, incomplete well patterns, difficult measures for tapping potential, and no effective development of reserves, which have affected the comprehensive adjustment of Fuyu oilfield. In order to solve this problem, the shallow large platform horizontal well technology was studied in Fuyu oilfield by taking Chengping 12 reservoir as an example. This technology has been successfully applied under limited ground conditions, and underground reserves have been fully utilized. This study has laid a solid foundation for fuyu oilfield to increase recoverable reserves and achieve stable production during the 12th Five-year plan.

Using SWAT to Evaluate Streamflow and Lake Sediment Loading in the Xinjiang River Basin with Limited Data

Soil erosion and lake sediment loading are primary concerns of watershed managers around the world. In the Xinjiang River Basin of China, severe soil erosion occurs primarily during monsoon periods, resulting in sediment flow into Poyang Lake and subsequently causing lake water quality deterioration. Here, we identified high-risk soil erosion areas and conditions that drive sediment yield in a watershed system with limited available data to guide localized soil erosion control measures intended to support reduced sediment load into Poyang Lake. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to simulate monthly and annual sediment yield based on a calibrated SWAT streamflow model, identified where sediment originated, and determined what geographic factors drove the loading within the watershed. We applied monthly and daily streamflow discharge (1985–2009) and monthly suspended sediment load data (1985–2001) to Meigang station to conduct parameter sensitivity analysis, calibration, validation, and uncertainty analysis of the model. The coefficient of determination (R2), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), percent bias (PBIAS), and RMSE -observation’s standard deviation ratio (RSR) values of the monthly sediment load were 0.63, 0.62, 3.8%, and 0.61 during calibration, respectively. Spatially, the annual sediment yield rate ranged from 3 ton ha−1year−1 on riparian lowlands of the Xinjiang main channel to 33 ton ha−1year−1 on mountain highlands, with a basin-wide mean of 19 ton ha−1year−1. The study showed that 99.9% of the total land area suffered soil loss (greater than 5 ton ha−1year−1). More sediment originated from the southern mountain highlands than from the northern mountain highlands of the Xinjiang river channel. These results suggest that specific land use types and geographic conditions can be identified as hotspots of sediment source with relatively scarce data; in this case, orchards, barren lands, and mountain highlands with slopes greater than 25° were the primary sediment source areas. This study developed a reliable, physically-based streamflow model and illustrates critical source areas and conditions that influence sediment yield.

REPRESENTATION OF ETHNO-CULTURAL VALUES IN THE PROVERBS OF FRENCH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES

The paper deals with the analysis of value markers of French speakers living both in France and abroad. The relevance of this problem is explained by the anthropocentric orientation of modern linguistic science, by the study of linguistic facts in close connection with the facts of culture and their mutual influence, as well as by the lack of special research papers on the comparison of value markers of different speakers of the multinational French language. The purpose of this research is to identify the basic values of representatives of different French-speaking countries on the basis of thematically organized proverbial material presented in lexicographical sources. In the course of this research methods of comparative, statistical analysis were used, the material was obtained through continuous sampling from the specialized dictionary of French proverbs and sayings and amounted to 2041 units. The research has revealed that all French speakers living both in France and abroad are more likely to be oriented towards material rather than spiritual values. The peculiarities of French proverbs in each country reflect ethnically specific historical, geographical and sociolinguistic factors and conditions.

Vegetation dynamic analysis based on multisource remote sensing data in the east margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.

This study focuses on the vegetation dynamic caused by global environmental change in the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (EMQTP). The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is one of the most sensitive areas responding to global environmental change, particularly global climate change, and has been recognized as a hotspot for coupled studies on changes in global terrestrial ecosystems and global climates. An important component of terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation dynamic has become a key issue in global environmental change, and numerous case studies have been conducted on vegetation dynamic trends using multi-source data and multi-scale methods across different study periods. The EMQTP is regarded as a transitional area located between the QTP and the Sichuan basin, and has special geographical and climatic conditions. Although this area is ecologically fragile and sensitive to climate change, few studies about vegetation dynamics have been carried out in this area. Thus, in this study, we used long-term series datasets of GIMMS 3g NDVI and VGT/PROBA-V NDVI to analyze the vegetation dynamics and phenological changes from 1982 to 2018. Validation was performed based on Landsat NDVI and Vegetation Index & Phenology (VIP) data. The results reveal that the year 1998 was a vital turning point in the start of growing season (SGS) in vegetation ecosystems. Before this turning point, the SGS had an average slope of 9.2 days/decade, and after, the average slope was 3.9 days/decade. The length of growing season (LGS) was slightly prolonged between 1982 to 2015. Additionally, the largest national alpine wetland grassland experienced significant vegetation degradation; in autumn, the degraded area accounted for 63.4%. Vegetation degradation had also appeared in the arid valleys of the Yalong River and the Jinsha River. Through validation analysis, we found that the main causes of vegetation degradation are the natural degradation of wetland grassland and human activities, specifically agricultural development and residential area expansion.

Phenomenon of Icing and a Review of Ice Accretion Nomograms, Models and Charts in Navigation

Abstract The paper presents results of research based on analysis of marine icing nomograms, models and charts using in the sea navigation. The problem of ships icing occurs in specific weather and geographical conditions. Every year numbers of vessels navigate in these areas meet a phenomenon of icing. Ice on decks of ships can be formed from fresh water or sea (salt) water. Ships operating in waters where the phenomime of icing is occurred use for safety navigation icing nomograms and icing charts. Icing charts are created based on icing models. The main aim of the article is to perform a review of currently used in the sea navigation icing nomograms and icing maps, based on icing models, used in navigation to depict the phenomenon of icing.

Evaluating the Environmental Impact Score of a Residential Building Using Life Cycle Assessment

Buildings consume major amount of energy as well as natural resources leading to negative environmental impacts like resource depletion and pollution. The current task for the construction sector is to develop an evaluation tool for rating of buildings based on their environmental impacts. There are various assessment tools and models developed by different agencies in different countries to evaluate building's effect on environment. Although these tools have been successfully used and implemented in the respective regions of their origin, the problems of application occur, especially during regional adaptation in other countries due to peculiarities associated with the specific geographic location, climatic conditions, construction methods and materials. India is a rapidly growing economy with exponential increase in housing sector. Impact assessment model for a residential building has been developed based on life cycle assessment (LCA) framework. The life cycle impact assessment score was obtained for a sample house considering fifteen combinations of materials paired with 100% thermal electricity and 70%-30% thermal-solar combination, applying normalization and weighting to the LCA results. The LCA score of portland slag cement with burnt clay red brick and 70%-30% thermal-solar combination (PSC+TS+RB) was found to have the best score and ordinary Portland cement with flyash brick and 100% thermal power (OPC+T+FAB) had the worst score, showing the scope for further improvement in LCA model to include positive scores for substitution of natural resources with industrial waste otherwise polluting the environment.

Displaced villagers’ adaptation in concentrated resettlement community: A case study of Nanjing, China

This research examines the socioeconomic transformation and adaptation to urban life among resettled villagers who live in government-designated concentrated resettlement communities, by articulating the interrelated roles played by individual households, resettlement communities, the local state and the market. Principal component analysis and descriptive comparison were conducted to assess resettled villagers’ opinions on their economic, social, and environmental adaptations, based on 300 structured survey samples collected from two concentrated resettlement communities in Nanjing. The study argues that legacy from the past rural collective institution, rural land property rights ambiguity, and complicated interests in land conversion all contextualize villager resettlement and adaptation. Post-resettlement adaptation depends on specific geographical, environmental, and economic conditions. An approach open to resettled villagers’ opinions and concerns would help to achieve an equitable and sustainable realization of resettled villagers’ transformation and adaptation. The research urges that resettlement policy environment now faces two paradigm changes.

Study on CO data filtering approaches based on observations at two background stations in China.

The identification of regional representative carbon monoxide (CO) measurements that are minimally influenced by local sources/sinks is essential to understand the characteristics of atmospheric CO over a certain region. In this study, three commonly used data filtering approaches were applied to atmospheric CO data obtained from 2010/2011 to 2017 at two World Meteorological Administration/Global Atmospheric Programme (WMO/GAW) regional stations (Lin'an, LAN and Shangdianzi, SDZ) in China, to study their applicability for individual stations. The three methods used were the meteorological conditions (MET), statistical approaches (robust extraction of baseline signal, REBS), and the time scale of the CO variations (standard deviations of the running mean, SDM). The results from the three methods displayed almost the same seasonal cycles at LAN but different variations at SDZ. They each extracted similar yearly CO growth rates at LAN, but there was a large difference at SDZ, with values of -10.6 ± 0.5, -2.2 ± 0.1, and - 23.5 ± 0.3 ppb yr-1 for MET, REBS, and SDM, respectively. The slight decrease observed using REBS at SDZ was mainly due to the biased distribution of CO records, which was a purely statistical method that did not consider topography or meteorological conditions. Thus, the REBS method should be applied cautiously to CO observations at stations like SDZ. The SDM method may overestimate multi-year trends. Among the three approaches, MET may be the most suitable for filtering CO observation records, especially at stations like SDZ with special geographical and meteorological conditions in economically-developed regions.

Analysis of Factors Affecting Plateau Mine Man-machine Efficiency Based on AHP

In this paper, the index system of influencing factors of human-machine efficacy in plateau mining enterprises was established, according to the special geographical environment and climatic conditions in Plateau area. First, the factors affecting the human-machine efficiency of plateau mines are analyzed from three aspects: personnel, equipment and plateau environment. Then, based on the analytic hierarchy process, the index system of influencing factors is established, and the weight calculation of each index is realized by constructing the contrast matrix. Through the analysis of the weight, it shows that in the three aspects of personnel, equipment and environment, the effect of personnel on human-machine efficacy is more obvious.

Renewable Energy in the Electricity Sector and GDP per Capita in the European Union

Considering that the European Directive has imposed that at least 20% of the total energy should come from renewable energy sources (RES) by 2020 already and the specific targets for each European Union Member State, this paper attempts to assess the importance of GDP per capita in realizing these targets and also the effects of the RES share in electricity. Contrary to previous research, this paper does not consider the connection between economic growth and RES, but rather the potential connection between the share of RES in electricity and the real GDP per capita. The panel data models indicated to a positive, but very low impact of GDP per capita on the share of RES in electricity in the period of 2007–2017 in the case of the EU countries, except Luxembourg that has outlier values of GDP per capita. However, causality between the two variables was not identified. Some groups of countries were described according to these variables using cluster analysis. Future research should focus on the extension of this model by including other important variables such as RES potential available in the countries with specific geographical conditions.

Working Out of Recommendations on Protection of the System of Artificial Snow Formation on the Slopes Elbrus Mount from Snow Avalanching

The Elbrus region is the most popular recreational complex of Kabardino-Balkar Republic and of the North Caucasus in general. In perspective in the Elbrus region it is supposed to create 32 aerial ropeways with total spread of 54 km and productivity of 67 thousand people per hour, and 62 ski slopes with total spread of 108 km and square of 506 hectares. It is supposed to realize complex exploration of north-eastern slope of Elbrus – Dzhili-Su region (mountain-recreational and therapeutic complex “Dzhili-Su”). A wide variety of orographic, geological, climatic and physical geographic conditions of the mountainous part of Kabardino-Balkaria predetermine an active development of natural disasters on its recreational territories. The regions of location of existing and newly-created different routes and mountain-recreational complexes on the slopes of Elbrus due to their specific geographical position and natural conditions, are under the influence of dangerous glacial processes, in particular, snow avalanching. The area of the object projection “Reconstruction of artificial snow formation system, Elbrus mount” is also avalanche-risk one.

Non-Bolshevik Healthcare in Russia: Organization of the Medical Care in the Northern Region (August 1918 – October 1919)

The paper examines healthcare in the anti-Bolshevik Northern Region during the Civil War in Russia. The author focuses on structures and institutions of the healthcare system, their methods and resources, as well as geographical peculiarities of the Northern Region concerning medicine. The main conclusion of the article is that healthcare and medicine were the areas, where interests of the interventionists, central authorities and zemstvos, coincided and contradictions between them disappeared. The specific political, demographic and geographical conditions of the Northern Region made regulation of the sanitary situation relatively effective.

Landslides and dammed lakes triggered by the 2017 Ms6.9 Milin earthquake in the Tsangpo gorge

An Ms6.9 earthquake in the Yarlung Tsangpo gorge on November 18, 2017 caused more than 700 landslides concentrating along the gorge’s great bend, and three dammed lakes. The location and area of the landslides are obtained by interpreting high-resolution satellite images before and after the earthquake. About 31.45 Mm3 of sediment from the landslides are distributed in seven catchments that are highly susceptible to debris flows. In 2018, at least three large-scale glacier-debris flows happened at Sedongpu, one of the seven catchments, and blocked temporarily the main river twice. The subsequent inundation and outburst floods resulted in infrastructure and property losses extensively beyond the high-seismic-intensity zone. Increase in the frequency of debris flows is attributed to the instability of glaciers and sediment supply caused by the earthquake. Glacier-debris flows will remain active for a long period due to massive glacial till, abundant rainfall, and meltwater. Geomorphic hazard chain triggered by such a mid-strong earthquake demonstrates that although coseismic landslides only occur in a limited area, the space and duration of the quake-induced hazards could extend largely under special geographical conditions.

Mercury isotopic compositions of mosses, conifer needles, and surface soils: Implications for mercury distribution and sources in Shergyla Mountain, Tibetan Plateau

Understanding the distribution and sources of mercury (Hg) in the Tibetan Plateau is of great value to study the long-range transport of Hg. Herein, the total Hg (THg) concentrations and the isotopic compositions of mosses, conifer needles, and surface soils collected from both slopes of the Shergyla Mountain of Tibetan Plateau were analyzed. The contents of THg in samples (except mosses on the eastern slope) were significantly positively correlated with altitude in both the western and eastern slopes, possibly caused by topographic factors. In contrast, Δ199Hg in samples was significantly negatively correlated with altitude. On the basis of Hg isotopic compositions, atmospheric Hg0 uptake was indicated as the primary accumulation pathway of Hg in mosses (Δ199Hg: −0.12 ± 0.09‰, −0.26 – 0.00‰, 1 SD, n = 10) and conifer needles (Δ199Hg: −0.21 ± 0.08‰, −0.36 – −0.11‰, 1 SD, n = 9). Moreover, the contributing fractions of atmospheric Hg0 to Hg in surface soils (Δ199Hg: −0.20 ± 0.07‰, −0.31 – −0.06‰, 1 SD, n = 17) increased with altitude and accounted for an average of 87 ± 9% in atmospheric sources. Due to the special geographic positions and environmental conditions of the Tibetan Plateau, the results of this study were essential for further understanding the long-range transport and global cycling of Hg.

Understanding Topological and Spatial Attributes of Bus Transportation Networks in Cities of Chongqing and Chengdu

It is critical to understand the characteristics of public transportation networks (PTNs). Existing studies have mainly focused on the topological structure of PTNs and have revealed the commonalities of the topological structures of PTNs. However, few studies have examined the differences regarding topological structure characteristics between the PTNs of different cities. In addition, the nature and extent of the influence of specific urban geographic conditions and morphology on PTNs are unclear. This paper focuses on the influence of urban spatial and geographic environments on bus transportation networks (BTNs) by comparatively studying the topological and spatial attributes of two typical BTNs, respectively, from a mountainous city and a plain city in China, from the perspectives of basic statistical properties, types, connection properties, and spatial attributes, by using the complex networks theory and spatial analysis method. The results reveal that the two BTNs have similar statistical properties and they both have scale-free features as well as small-world features. However, these two BTNs are significantly different in the connection properties and spatial attributes. The difference is found closely related to the city’s geographic conditions and spatial morphology. The implications of this study regarding urban traffic planning and land planning are discussed.