scholarly journals A National Geoscience Data Platform and its Application in Paleobiodiversity Studies: Experiences from Estonia

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olle Hints ◽  
Mare Isakar ◽  
Ursula Toom
Keyword(s):  
User Interfaces ◽  
Data Model ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Cambrian Explosion ◽  
Geochemical Data ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Data Platform ◽  
The Baltic

Studying deep time biodiversity and environments is largely based on collections of fossils and sedimentary rocks, and the information acquired thereof. The sedimentary bedrocks of Estonia and neighbouring areas constitute a well-preserved archive of Earth history from the late Precambrian to the Devonian period. This interval of geological time hosts several key events in the diversification of life, notably the Cambrian explosion, the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event and the Hirnantian mass extinction. Documenting and understanding these events has benefited from the geological and paleontological collections from the Baltic region, a large part of which are deposited in Estonia. Since 2004 Estonia has had a 'national geological collection' that virtually joins the archives of three major collection-holding institutions: Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu and the Estonian Museum of Natural History (Hints et al. 2008). A key to the functioning of this national consortium is the common database system 'SARV', which started as a simple collection management tool, but has grown into a geoscience data platform linking various types of geoscientific information and supporting also the needs of researchers. Technically the system is based on a relational data model and central database server, a REST API and a number of web-based user interfaces from data management tools to public portals and more specialized applications. Individual components of the system are now built on open source software including MySQL, Apache Solr, Django REST framework, and Angular and Vue JavaScript frameworks. The data model and all recently developed software are available in a Github repository (https://github.com/geocollections). Data on individual fossil specimens, digital images, localities, regional stratigraphic units, rock samples, datasets, published references, field notebooks etc. are publicly accessible in the Estonian geoscience collections portal (https://geocollections.info). A separate gateway provides access to the information on fossil taxa and their distribution in the Baltic region (https://fossiilid.info). Another example of using the same underlying data platform specifically for paleobiodiversity research is the Baltic chitinozoan database CHITDB (http://chitinozoa.net; Hints et al. 2018). Chitinozoans are an enigmatic group of Paleozoic microfossils, very useful in biostratigraphy. Some of the largest collections of these fossils worldwide derive from the Baltica paleocontinent and are deposited in Estonia. The chitinozoan portal was developed for managing and publishing the occurrence-level data on chitinozoans, and for quantitatively analysing their diversification history and biotic crises through the Ordovician and Silurian periods. The main benefit of using such an integrated data system is that a user may easily turn back to individual samples and specimen images (for instance, to verify identifications), and combine the paleontological data with information about past environments and climate that might derive from publications, first-hand geochemical data or even from descriptions in field notebooks. Global tools, such as the Paleobiology database, cannot provide such functionality for the time being. The next steps in enhancing the national geoscience data platform in Estonia are related to the development of new data collection and publication modules, building a complete digital library of geoscience publications related to Estonia and widening the user base of the system. Participation in the national research infrastructure roadmap project NATARC as well as the Pan-European DiSSCo will support achieving this and safeguarding the sustainability of geoscience data and corresponding e-services in Estonia.

Associations of Sphagnum rubellum Wils. on the bogs of the south-east part of Baltic region

2003 ◽  
pp. 50-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. A. Smagin ◽  
M. G. Napreenko
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Karelian Isthmus ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
The South ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Kaliningrad Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Typical Habitat ◽  
New Syntaxa

The paper characterizes the 3 associations comprising plant communities with Sphagnum rubellum in the south-eastern part of the Baltic region. The new syntaxa differ from each other both in their floristic characters and the pronounced affinity to definite regional mire types and particular habitats. The ass. Drosero-Sphagnetum rubelli is typical of the relatively most thorough ranges. It is observed from the Kaliningrad region to the Karelian Isthmus and, according to the published reference, occurs even throughout the whole area around the Baltic Sea. Its most typical habitat is that of margins of mire lakes and pools. The ass. Eriophoro-Sphagnetum rubelli occurs in central plateaus of convex plateau-like bogs, typical of the areas adjacent to the Baltic Sea coast. It occupies extended flat mire ecotopes with the water level 0.2–0.25 m deep. The ass. Empetro-Sphagnetum rubelli is characteristic of the retrogressive complex in the convex bogs of the East-Baltic Province. It is mostly observed along the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Its stands are rather dynamic and unstable in both space and time. The presence of communities comprised by these 3 associations is an important vegetation character of the series of regional mire types. Assuming an association level of the respective syntaxa seems rational for the purposes of adequate reflection of plant cover diversity.

FEATURES OF DESIGNING BIKE PATHS IN ST.PETERSBURG BASED ON ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENCE OF THE BALTIC REGION

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (26) ◽  
pp. 122-130
Author(s):  
A. A. Dobrovolskaya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Volume ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
Analytical Information ◽  
The World ◽  
Lane Width ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Specific Section

The article deals with statistics on the development of Bicycle roads in Russia and in the world, as well as design methods for a specific section of the connection of Bicycle routes in St. Petersburg. The article discusses the experience of using and entering bike paths based on the experience of Finland, as well as the types of bike paths and infrastructure features for metropolises. A model for creating a bike path by partially narrowing the roadway, graphical functions, and analytical information are provided. Practical examples of changing the infrastructure for bike paths are given. Keywords: bike path, traffic volume, design the roadway, lane width.

Variability of radiosonde-observed precipitable water in the Baltic region*

2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 423-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Jakobson ◽  
H. Ohvril ◽  
O. Okulov ◽  
N. Laulainen
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Linear Functions ◽  
Water Vapour Pressure ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
Geographical Latitude ◽  
Linear Formula ◽  
Annual Means ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Two Parameters

The total mass of columnar water vapour (precipitable water, W) is an important parameter of atmospheric thermodynamic and radiative models. In this work more than 60 000 radiosonde observations from 17 aerological stations in the Baltic region over 14 years, 1989–2002, were used to examine the variability of precipitable water. A table of monthly and annual means of W for the stations is given. Seasonal means of W are expressed as linear functions of the geographical latitude degree. A linear formula is also derived for parametrisation of precipitable water as a function of two parameters – geographical latitude and surface water vapour pressure.

scholarly journals Fathoming postnatural oceans: Towards a low trophic theory in the practices of feminist posthumanities

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110285
Author(s):  
Marietta Radomska ◽  
Cecilia Åsberg
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
Slow Violence ◽  
Human Care ◽  
Ethical Stance ◽  
The Baltic

As the planet’s largest ecosystem, oceans stabilise climate, produce oxygen, store CO2 and host unfathomable biodiversity at a deep time-scale. In recent decades, scientific assessments have indicated that the oceans are seriously degraded to the detriment of most near-future societies. Human-induced impacts range from climate change, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, eutrophication and marine pollution to local degradation of marine and coastal environments. Such environmental violence takes form of both ‘spectacular’ events, like oil spills and ‘slow violence’, occurring gradually and out of sight. The purpose of this paper is to show four cases of coastal and marine forms of slow violence and to provide counter-accounts of how to reinvent our consumer imaginary at such locations, as well as to develop what is here referred to as ‘low-trophic theory,’ a situated ethical stance that attends to entanglements of consumption, food, violence, environmental adaptability and more-than-human care from the co-existential perspective of multispecies ethics. We combine field-philosophical case studies with insights from marine science, environmental art and cultural practices in the Baltic and North Sea region and feminist posthumanities. The paper shows that the oceanic imaginary is not a unified place, but rather, a set of forces, which requires renewed ethical approaches, conceptual inventiveness and practical creativity. Based on the case studies and examples presented, the authors conclude that the consideration of more-than-human ethical perspectives, provided by environmental arts and humanities is crucial for both research on nature and space, and for the flourishing of local multispecies communities. This paper thus inaugurates thinking and practice along the proposed here ethical stance of low-trophic theory, developed it along the methodological lines of feminist environmental posthumanities.

scholarly journals Implementation of a Six-Layer Smart Factory Architecture with Special Focus on Transdisciplinary Engineering Education

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 2944
Author(s):  
Benjamin James Ralph ◽  
Marcel Sorger ◽  
Benjamin Schödinger ◽  
Hans-Jörg Schmölzer ◽  
Karin Hartl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Programming Environments ◽  
Metal Processing

Smart factories are an integral element of the manufacturing infrastructure in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. Nevertheless, there is frequently a deficiency of adequate training facilities for future engineering experts in the academic environment. For this reason, this paper describes the development and implementation of two different layer architectures for the metal processing environment. The first architecture is based on low-cost but resilient devices, allowing interested parties to work with mostly open-source interfaces and standard back-end programming environments. Additionally, one proprietary and two open-source graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were developed. Those interfaces can be adapted front-end as well as back-end, ensuring a holistic comprehension of their capabilities and limits. As a result, a six-layer architecture, from digitization to an interactive project management tool, was designed and implemented in the practical workflow at the academic institution. To take the complexity of thermo-mechanical processing in the metal processing field into account, an alternative layer, connected with the thermo-mechanical treatment simulator Gleeble 3800, was designed. This framework is capable of transferring sensor data with high frequency, enabling data collection for the numerical simulation of complex material behavior under high temperature processing. Finally, the possibility of connecting both systems by using open-source software packages is demonstrated.

scholarly journals A novel frequent BRCA1 recurrent variant c.5117G > A (p.Gly1206Glu) identified after 20 years of BRCA1/2 research in the Baltic region: cohort study and literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Loza ◽  
A. Irmejs ◽  
Z. Daneberga ◽  
E. Miklasevics ◽  
E. Berga-Svitina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Local Spectrum ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
Breast And Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Pathogenic Variants ◽  
Common Founder ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽  
Generation Sequencing

Abstract Background Several recent studies in the Baltic region have found extended spectrum of pathogenic variants (PV) of the BRCA1/2 genes. The aim of current study is to analyze the spectrum of the BRCA1/2 PV in population of Latvia and to compare common PV between populations of the Baltic region. Methods We present a cohort of 9543 unrelated individuals including ones with cancer and unaffected individuals from population of Latvia, who were tested for three most common BRCA1 founder PV. In second line testing, 164 founder negative high-risk individuals were tested for PV of the BRCA1/2 using next generation sequencing (NGS). Local spectrum of the BRCA1/2 PV was compared with the Baltic region by performing a literature review. Results Founder PV c.5266dupC, c.4035delA or c.181 T > G was detected in 369/9543 (3.9%) cases. Other BRCA1/2 PV were found in 44/164 (26.8%) of NGS cases. Four recurrent BRCA1 variants c.5117G > A (p.Gly1706Glu), c.4675G > A (p.Glu1559Lys), c.5503C > T (p.Arg1835*) and c.1961delA (p.Lys654fs) were detected in 18/44 (41.0%), 5/44 (11.4%), 2/44 (4.5%) and 2/44 (4.5%) cases respectively. Additionally, 11 BRCA1 PV and six BRCA2 PV were each found in single family. Conclusions By combining three studies by our group of the same cohort in Latvia, frequency of the BRCA1/2 PV for unselected breast and ovarian cancer cases is 241/5060 (4.8%) and 162/1067 (15.2%) respectively. The frequency of three “historical” founder PV is up to 87.0% (369/424). Other non-founder PV contribute to at least 13.0% (55/424) and this proportion probably will rise by increasing numbers of the BRCA1/2 sequencing. In relative numbers, c.5117G > A is currently the third most frequent PV of the BRCA1 in population of Latvia, overcoming previously known third most common founder variant c.181 T > G. In addition to three BRCA1 founder PV, a total of five recurrent BRCA1 and two recurrent BRCA2 PV have been reported in population of Latvia so far. Many of the BRCA1/2 PV reported in Latvia are shared among other populations of the Baltic region.

The integrative potential of science and research cooperation for suturing the Baltic Sea region in the 21st century

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-32
Author(s):  
Kazimierz Musiał
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Research Cooperation ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Science And Research

The aim of the article is to demonstrate how science and researchcooperation may help to reintegrate the Baltic region in the 21st century withthe participation of Russia. This is done through the analysis of documentsand strategies of Baltic Sea regionalism in the context of the regional knowledgeregime. Attention is paid to different positionalities of the regional actorsand their narratives. The theoretical framework is secured by an analysis ofcritical junctures drawing on case studies from the years 1989-91 and 2014 andthe subsequent reconfiguration of the power / knowledge nexus. The analysisshows that this reconfiguration actively contributes to creating and changingthe content and context of the Baltic Sea regionalism as based on new symbolic,economic, and political capitals. The conclusion points to the potentialof Russia’s involvement in the co-creation of the regional knowledge regimeand defines the conditions and methods of possible cooperation.

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