Contribution to the taxonomy and distribution of Aciculidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda) in Albania and the surroundings

Reviewing historical and recently collected material of family Aciculidae from Albania and the neighbouring region, we synonymized two species and one subspecies, namely Platyla corpulenta Subai, 2009 under Platyla procax Boeters, E. Gittenberger & Subai, 1989; Platyla ceraunorum A. Reischütz, N. Steiner-Reischütz & P. L. Reischütz, 2016 under Platyla similis (Reinhardt, 1880) and Renea kobelti albanica Boeters, E. Gittenberger & Subai, 1989 under Renea kobelti (A. J. Wagner,1910). Four aciculid species are first mentioned for Albania: Platyla similis and Platyla procax that replace their junior synonyms; and Platyla feheri Subai, 2009 and Platyla gracilis (Clessin, 1877) that are new to the country. Furthermore, new distribution data are provided for Platyla albanica Subai, 2012, Platyla banatica (Rossmässler, 1842), Platyla wilhelmi (A. J. Wagner, 1910) and Renea kobelti (A. J. Wagner, 1910). In the light of new distribution data, their conservation statuses according to IUCN criteria are assessed at the national level and, when necessary, are re-assessed at global level.

Correlating Local Volumetric Tissue Strains with Global Lung Mechanics Measurements

The mechanics of breathing is a fascinating and vital process. The lung has complexities and subtle heterogeneities in structure across length scales that influence mechanics and function. This study establishes an experimental pipeline for capturing alveolar deformations during a respiratory cycle using synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SR-micro-CT). Rodent lungs were mechanically ventilated and imaged at various time points during the respiratory cycle. Pressure-Volume (P-V) characteristics were recorded to capture any changes in overall lung mechanical behaviour during the experiment. A sequence of tomograms was collected from the lungs within the intact thoracic cavity. Digital volume correlation (DVC) was used to compute the three-dimensional strain field at the alveolar level from the time sequence of reconstructed tomograms. Regional differences in ventilation were highlighted during the respiratory cycle, relating the local strains within the lung tissue to the global ventilation measurements. Strains locally reached approximately 150% compared to the averaged regional deformations of approximately 80–100%. Redistribution of air within the lungs was observed during cycling. Regions which were relatively poorly ventilated (low deformations compared to its neighbouring region) were deforming more uniformly at later stages of the experiment (consistent with its neighbouring region). Such heterogenous phenomena are common in everyday breathing. In pathological lungs, some of these non-uniformities in deformation behaviour can become exaggerated, leading to poor function or further damage. The technique presented can help characterize the multiscale biomechanical nature of a given pathology to improve patient management strategies, considering both the local and global lung mechanics.

Amur Region as a territory of humanitarian cooperation

The study is devoted to the development of humanitarian cooperation between the regions of the two states – the Amur Region (Russian Federation) and Heilongjiang province (People’s Republic of China). We analyze the development of humanitarian relations between these neighbouring territories from the late 1980s to the present. The main normative and legal acts of the interstate and interregional levels that have influenced humanitarian cooperation are considered. The factors influencing the development of Sino-Russian relations in the border area, related to the difficult social and economic situation of reforms in Russia in the 1990s are noted. We consider the position of the leaders of the Amur Region in relation to the development of humanitarian relations with the neighbouring region of People’s Republic of China. The main directions of hu-manitarian cooperation between the Amur Region and the border territories of China (first of all, with the province of Heilongjiang) in the field of tourism, culture, sports, as well as in the educa-tional space are highlighted. It is proved that the development of Sino-Russian interstate relations since the late 1980s can be described as progressive and stable. The conclusion is made about the features of cooperation with the regions of the People’s Republic of China, the significant role of the geographical position of the region in the development of international interaction, as well as the stability of the rate of convergence in the field of humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.

An Exploration of the Christian-Muslim Landscape in Modern Syria and the Contribution of Eastern Christian Thought to Interreligious Dynamics

This paper considers Christian-Muslim relations in modern Syria and the importance that eastern Christian thought can make to the interreligious context within the Middle East. It briefly describes the diverse historical and contemporary Christian and Muslim religious landscapes that have cohabited and interacted within the country and the cultural, religious, and political issues that have impacted the interreligious dynamic. Based on fieldwork undertaken in government-held areas during the Syrian conflict, combined with critical historical and Christian theological reflection, the article contributes to understanding Syria’s diverse religious landscape and the multi-layered expressions of Christian-Muslim relations, in a way that has not been previously attempted. Providing insights into interreligious praxis prior to the conflict and in its midst, the article contributes to an understanding of the effect of conflict on interreligious relationships. The article considers the unique contribution of eastern Christianity to the Christian-Muslim dynamic and concludes that the significance of the theology and spirituality of the ‘Antiochene’ paradigm has been under-recognised in western discourse and that, having coexisted within the cultural environment of Islam, it is uniquely placed to play a major role in Christian-Muslim dialogue and the reframing of Islam’s engagement with modern society.This article contributes therefore to knowledge and understanding of the changing Christian-Muslim dynamic in Syria and the neighbouring region; a new understanding of the religious landscape; and a door to exploring how eastern Christian approaches to Christian-Muslim relations may be sustained and strengthened in the face of the considerable religious and political challenges faced by both communities today.

Exponential distribution of large excess death rates in Europe during the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020

Excess death rates E during the spring of 2020 are computed in 519 level 3 European territorial units for statistics ---NUTS3 in Belgium (40), France (96), Italy (110), Netherlands (44), Spain (50), Sweden(21) and United Kingdom (179)--- from 2020 provisional week deaths, the population numbers for 2020, and observations in previous years (reference or baseline), all of them obtained from Eurostat web page. Excess death rates are classified in three tiers. Largest 27 excess death rates (tier 1, E>1721×106) were distributed exponentially with empirical complementary cumulative distribution function (empirical survival function) S following S∝2-E/ϵ with ϵ1=958(52)×10-6. Tier 2 (the next 52 largest excess death rates, E<1142×10-6 also distributed exponentially with ϵ2=379.5(89)×10-6. Tier 3 (smallest 460 excess death rates) were distributed normally. The results suggests that when, within some regions, the outbreak is above a threshold, interaction with neighbouring region become less relevant and the outcomes ---excess death rates--- become exponentially distributed as it happens with independent events.

Мандрівки галицької молоді наприкінці ХІХ – початку ХХ ст.: організація, характер, маршрути, вплив на формування особистості гімназистів і студентів

Tours and hiking trips were very popular among Galician youth at the end of the 19th century. They were initiated by junior high schools students and university students themselves who wanted to gain experience, knowledge and to spend time in a pleasant way. Such enterprises were supported by the school administration and management of particular secondary school and institutions of higher education, thus acquiring educational and scientific dimension. The length of such trips varied from several days to several weeks. Trips, on foot, sometimes by train, by horse and cart or by means of rafting, included the territory of Galicia, especially mountain trail in the Carpathian Mountains, the territory of the Habsburg Empire, the countries in southern, northern and western Europe. During the travels, the participants could become familiar with geography, history, economy, morals and the traditions of their own and the neighbouring region.