Environmental and innovation problems of Russia in the context of the transition to an energy efficient economy

The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the modern ecological situation necessitates the transition of the branches of the national economy from technogenic to sustainable and ecologically balanced development. These processes will be facilitated by the greening of the economy through the modernization of processing industries through the introduction of innovative technological processes that will increase the depth and complexity of processing, which will increase the resource efficiency of the use of hydrocarbons, as well as reduce environmental risks. In the context of an increasing shortage of non-renewable resources, aggravation of environmental problems, introduction of resource-saving and resource-efficient innovative “green” technologies aimed at producing new types of “green” products is a prerequisite for the successful development of the economy and preserving the environment. The novelty of the study is due to the achievement of the “decoupling” effect, which implies an increase in the resource efficiency of the use of raw materials while reducing environmental risks. This implies the creation of such conditions under which, based on the modernization of the economy through innovative technologies that allow meeting the growing needs, the minimization of the use of hydrocarbon resources will be ensured. The most important direction of Russia’s transition to “green development” is to increase the complexity of the use of raw materials, increase the depth of processing, Nelson’s complexity coefficient economically justified extraction of all useful components contained in raw materials and production wastes extracted from hydrocarbon raw materials. The main factor in reducing the burden on the environment, reducing resource intensity is innovative transformations based on the comprehensive use of environmentally friendly low-waste technologies.

Prison Theatre and an Embodied Aesthetics of Liberation: Exploring the Potentials and Limits

Prison theatre practitioners and scholars often describe the sense of imaginative freedom or “escape” that theatre and drama can facilitate for incarcerated actors, in contrast to the strict regimes of the institution. Despite this, the concept of freedom or liberation is rarely interrogated, being presented instead as a given—a natural by-product of creative practice. Drawing from John Dewey’s (1934) pragmatist aesthetics and the liberatory pedagogies of Bell Hooks (2000) and Paulo Freire (1996), I propose an embodied aesthetics of liberation in prison theatre that adds depth and complexity to claims for freedom through creativity. Reflecting on over twenty years of prison theatre practice and research, I propose that the initial “acts of escape” performed through engaging the imagination are merely the first threshold toward more meaningful forms of freedom. I frame these as the following three intersecting domains: “Acts of unbinding”, which represents the personal liberation afforded by experiences with theatre in prison; “acts of love”, which expresses how the theatre ensemble might represent a “beloved community” (hooks); and “acts of liberation”, which articulates how these experiences of self-and-world creation may ripple out to impact audiences and communities. An aesthetics of liberation in prison theatre can, therefore, be conceived as an embodied movement towards personal and social renewal; an approach that deepens our understanding of its oft-cited humanising potential, and its limits.

Integration of signals from different cortical areas in higher order thalamic neurons

Higher order thalamic neurons receive driving inputs from cortical layer 5 and project back to the cortex, reflecting a transthalamic route for corticocortical communication. To determine whether or not individual neurons integrate signals from different cortical populations, we combined electron microscopy “connectomics” in mice with genetic labeling to disambiguate layer 5 synapses from somatosensory and motor cortices to the higher order thalamic posterior medial nucleus. A significant convergence of these inputs was found on 19 of 33 reconstructed thalamic cells, and as a population, the layer 5 synapses were larger and located more proximally on dendrites than were unlabeled synapses. Thus, many or most of these thalamic neurons do not simply relay afferent information but instead integrate signals as disparate in this case as those emanating from sensory and motor cortices. These findings add further depth and complexity to the role of the higher order thalamus in overall cortical functioning.

Practice Makes Dialogue: Reconceptualizing Constitutional Interaction between Courts and Legislatures

The question of how to understand and conceptualize inter-institutional interaction between courts and legislatures, particularly in the context of constitutional challenges, has drawn considerable attention over the years. This question is of special importance to the apprehension of constitutional dialogue as simultaneously describing and shaping constitutional interaction. This article focuses on the descriptive aspects of the constitutional dialogue and through them proposes a reconceptualization of constitutional dialogue, which is not based on the mere existence of legislative responses or the number thereof, or on the existence of different structural constitutional mechanisms. Instead, this reconceptualization is based on the de facto use in constitutional practices during the routine constitutional examination process, by the judiciary and political branches altogether. The article introduces a breadth-and-depth approach, which observes many constitutional decisions and legislative responses and uses them to analyze the nature of courts-legislatures dynamics. These insights are derived not only from the mere existence of a ruling or a statute, but also from the content and design of the institutional outcome thereof. The conclusions drawn using this approach are comprehensive, providing insight into the constitutional and dialogic interaction between courts and legislatures in each constitutional system, as well as identifying trends and changes as they occur. The article also offers an application of this approach to Israeli jurisprudence, illuminating the depth and complexity of this interaction, and enabling us to recognize it as a constitutional system with strong dialogic characteristics.

1803–1806

The letters in Part I show Beaumont cultivating a dynamic of critical exchange with Wordsworth. Beaumont’s love of the theatre serves as a pathway to a broader discussion of the arts: they discuss the paintings of David Wilkie and Henry Edridge as well as the poetry of Robert Southey and Walter Scott. Following the death of John Wordsworth, letters concerning ‘Character of the Happy Warrior’ and ‘Elegiac Stanzas’ (touching on issues including politics, fortitude, hope and grief) demonstrate the depth and complexity of the developing friendship between Beaumont and Wordsworth. Sir George introduces Wordsworth to the literary heritage of his Coleorton estate, begins to involve him in decisions about the landscaping of the grounds, and invites him to design a Winter Garden.

Pathology Associated with Adherent Perirenal Fat and its Clinical Effect

Introduction The dissection of perirenal fat is of critical importance to kidney surgery and ease of dissection is more important when using minimally invasive approaches. This study aimed to determine the clinical, radiological, and pathological significance of adherent perirenal fat(APF). Materials and Methods This prospective study included 22 patients scheduled for partial nephrectomy and 40 patients for donor nephrectomy. Intra-operative fat dissection time was recorded and the complexity of perirenal fat dissection was surgeon-classified as easy, moderate, and difficult. Perirenal fat and subcutaneous fat thickness was measured. Measurement of perirenal fat depth, and the Hounsfield unit(HU) for both perirenal and subcutaneous fields was performed using CT images. All specimens were submitted for histopatological analysis. Researchers in each arm were blinded to other researchers’ data. Results Mean age of the patients was 51.3±12.7years. Mean perirenal fat dissection time was 15.0±13.5min. Patient demographics, BMI, nor occupational status differed between the 3 complexity of perirenal fat dissection groups. Radiological findings showed that there was a significant correlation between perirenal fat depth and complexity of perirenal fat dissection(p<0.05), but not with HU measurements or subcutaneous fat thickness. Surgeon classification of the complexity of perirenal fat dissection was in accordance with the duration of dissection(p<0.05). Perinephric fat contained more fibrous tissue in the patients with histologically proven APF than in those without(p<0.05). Conclusions APF is a challenge during kidney surgery. Difficult dissection prolongs the duration of surgery, which can lead to complications. Perirenal fat thickness measured via pre-operative CT might be used to predict APF.

Introduction to Machine Learning for Chemists: An Undergraduate Course Using Python Notebooks for Visualization, Data Processing, Data Analysis, and Data Modeling

Machine Learning, a subdomain of Artificial intelligence, is a pervasive technology that would mold how chemists interact with data. Therefore, it is a relevant skill to incorporate into the toolbox of any chemistry student. This work presents a course that introduces machine learning for chemistry students based on a set of Python Notebooks and assignments. Python language, one of the most popular programming languages, allows for free software and resources, which ensures availability. The course is constructed for students without previous experience in programming, leading to an incremental progression in depth and complexity that covers both programming and machine learning concepts. The examples used are related to real data from physicochemical characterizations of wines, producing an attractive material that captures the interest of students. Topics included are Introduction to Python, Basic Statistics, Data Visualization and Dimension Reduction, Classification, and Regression.