The Importance of Border Checkpoints of Goods of Inner Mongolia for the Development of Cross-Border Relations of Peoples Republic of China

The article considers the system of operating border checkpoints of a large region in the north of China - the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The author emphasizes the growing importance of the Manchuria and Erlian land checkpoints, through which not only the whole variety of goods of Russian-Chinese and Chinese-Mongolian trade passes, but also international transit is provided. The remaining checkpoints, on the contrary, acquire a narrow specialization or have local significance for border territories. The development of border checkpoints, such as Sehe, Ganzmod and Mandal, is associated exclusively with the development of mineral deposits in the south of Mongolia and their subsequent export to China. In the context of a pandemic, the countries are forced to strengthen the barrier function of borders by tightening quarantine measures, which affects directly the operation of border checkpoints. The information provided on the border points of Inner Mongolia can become the basis for analyzing China’s opportunities to develop trade cooperation across the borders of Inner Mongolia.

Changing Features of COVID-19: Characteristics of Infections with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) and Alpha (B.1.1.7) Variants in Southern Italy

Differences in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients infected with the Alpha and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in a large region of Southern Italy were assessed. Two cohorts of positive patients were compared. The Alpha group consisted of 11,135 subjects diagnosed between 21 March and 21 April 2021, and the Delta group consisted of 499 positive subjects diagnosed between 21 July and 21 August 2021. A descriptive and statistical analysis of the demographic and clinical characteristics of the two groups was performed. The proportion of patients with mild and moderate infections was significantly higher in the Delta than in the Alpha group (p < 0.001). In fully vaccinated patients, the proportion of symptomatic individuals was significantly higher in the Delta than in the Alpha group. The Delta group showed odds ratios of 3.08 (95% CI, 2.55–3.72) for symptomatic infection and 2.66 (95% CI, 1.76–3.94) for hospitalization. Improving COVID-19 vaccination rates is a priority, since infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant has a significant impact on patient outcomes. Additional targeted prevention strategies such as social distancing, the use of masks in indoor settings irrespective of vaccination status, and the use of a sanitary passport could be crucial to contain further spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

A novel multivariable nonlinear robust control design for turbofan engines

Traditional steady-state control methods are applied to turbofan engines operating in the small region near certain operating conditions, which need to switch controllers for operating in the large region and then may lead to instability and performance degradation of the closed-loop system. In this paper, a novel multivariable nonlinear robust control method for turbofan engines is proposed to improve the control performance within the large region. To enlarge the controllable region, a polynomial state-space model describes the nonlinear characteristics of turbofan engines. Based on the analysis of the closed-loop control system, by using the Lyapunov function theorems, a polynomial robust controller is designed to ensure the stability and desired nonlinear control performance of turbofan engines. Compared with the classical PI, mixed sensitivity, and H∞ control, simulation results show that the proposed method has better transient responses, disturbance rejection, and other control performance for the turbofan engine within the large region.

Genome sequence of the aurodox-producing bacterium Streptomyces goldiniensis ATCC 21386

We report the genome sequence of Streptomyces goldiniensis ATCC 21386, a strain which produces the anti-bacterial and anti-virulence polyketide, aurodox. The genome of S. goldiniensis ATCC 21386 was sequenced using a multiplatform hybrid approach, revealing a linear genome of ~10 Mbp with a G+C content of 71 %. The genome sequence revealed 36 putative biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), including a large region of 271 Kbp that was rich in biosynthetic capability. The genome sequence is deposited in DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank with the accession number PRJNA602141.

The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Nubia

The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Nubia presents fifty-five studies by specialists in the archaeology and history of a large region in Africa, centered on the Middle Nile from Aswan to the confluence of the two Niles, extending from the Red Sea to the modern western borders of Sudan and Egypt. The volume is divided into three parts, the first dealing with the historiographical background and environment, the second, largest part tracing the careers of cultures, people, states, and empires from the Paleolithic to the early modern period, and the third, presenting topics interest in industry, society, and Nubian history in modern Sudan. While there were major cultural continuities in this vast region, including ancient Kush, which in different forms continued from the third millennium BCE well into the first millennium CE, there were many other peoples active and dwelling in the area. Such a complex region requires a diversity of scholars to provide a comprehensive introduction to Nubia.

Radionuclides’ content in forest ecosystem located in southwestern part of Serbia

Forests, with a large coverage of lands area, represent important ecosystem. They have greater ability to absorb atmospheric pollutant, including radionuclides compared to other vegetation types. Thus it is important to monitor radionuclides concentration in forest ecosystems. The results of the first gamma-spectrometric measurements in 16500 ha large region of South-western Serbia are presented. It is investigated activity concentrations of 40K, 137Cs and 210Pb in different deciduous and evergreen trees in the region. For all investigated isotopes, it was observed tendency that the smallest activity concentrations in average were found in tree stem, than in leaves, while the highest ones were in soil. Statistical analysis did not show any differences between activity concentrations of leaves and needles, showing that both leaves and needles could be equally well used as a biomonitors.