LANDSCAPE FEATURES OF ANTHROPOGENIC TRANSFORMATION OF THE BREST REGION NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

This paper analyzes the patterns of anthropogenic transformation of landscapes in the Brest region, as measured by value indicators such as forest cover (and geo-ecological coefficient based on it), the density of rural population, the share of residential landscapes. Correlation between nature properties of landscapes underlying their classification, and these indicators was detected. It was found that the genera of landscapes, which represent the maximum disturbance, are secondary-moraine and moraine-outwash landscapes, the subgenera of landscapes are with a cover and a discontinuous cover of glacial sandy loams. The least disturbance is distinctive for secondary water-glacial and alluvial terraced landscapes and among genera – with superficial cover of water-glacial sands and with superficial bedding of peat and sand. The necessity of protected areas network optimization is shown. The results showed a significant imbalance between the ecological condition of the landscape which belong to certain classification groups and their representation in the protected areas system of the region. Landscapes with the worst ecological situation, as a rule, occupy a small proportion among all landscapes of protected areas. This case does not allow carrying out fully the tasks of protection and restoration of the diversity of ecosystems of the region. Among genera share of protected areas is much greater than the share of the region generally occupy wetland and floodplain landscapes. Moraine-outwash landscapes, characterized by a critical environmental condition are not represented in the protected areas system. Among subgenera areas in protected territories are far larger than in the region are characterized for landscapes with superficial stratification of peat and sand, considerably smaller – for landscapes with a cover of water-glacial sandy loams and loams, ecological condition of which is estimated as critical. Thus, the existing network of protected areas in Brest region needs to be optimized be including those genera and subgenera of landscapes, which are characterized by the worst environmental condition and restore these areas to natural communities.

Improved BP Algorithm Applied to Motion Control of UV

Up to now, some technologies of neural networks are developed to solve the non-linearity of research objects and the adaptive control is implemented in many engineering fields, and some good results are achieved. Though the learning mechanism of neural networks is really unknowable, the importance of study ratio is widely realized, and some methods on modification of study ratio are provided. Improving the stability and increasing the convergent rate of networks by defining a good form of study ratio is the main target. A new algorithm named least disturbance BP algorithm is proposed to calculate the ratio online according to the output errors, the weights of network and the input values. The algorithm is applied to the control of an underwater vehicle. The good performance of the algorithm and the controller is demonstrated by the experimental results.

Effect of radius versus rotation speed in artificial gravity

Artificial gravity by centrifugation can lead to perceptual disturbances in the form of motion sickness and/or misperception of motion during head movements, but the degree of perceptual disturbance during centrifugation in 0-g has not been thoroughly investigated. It is known that during whole-body on-axis yaw rotation in 0-g, head movements in pitch and roll cause very little disturbance, despite significant disturbance in 1-g. Therefore, 1-g experimental results do not apply directly to 0-g without further analysis. A modeling approach was used here to predict disorienting effects in 0-g and 1-g environments, with different rotation speeds, centrifuge radii, and directions of head movement. The results were based upon investigation of the stimulus itself, in the form of angular and linear accelerations, and their consequences due to linear-angular interactions in three dimensions. The results explain known differences in 0-g and 1-g, for head turns toward and away from the direction of motion, and for head movements on- and off-axis. Additional predictions include an increase in perceptual disturbance with the magnitude of the gravito-inertial acceleration (GIA), therefore an increase off-axis, but a decrease in 0-g. Also predicted is that head-movement direction makes a difference, with rotation outward relative to the centrifuge axis causing the least disturbance.

Guidelines for people approaching breeding groups of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae)

Increases in the number of people travelling to Antarctica has led to more frequent interactions between people and Antarctic wildlife, yet the effects of visitation on the animals has received limited scientific assessment. This study conducted experiments to measure the responses of incubating Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) to controlled human approaches to determine which approach distances and approach styles caused the least disturbance to the birds. Three minimum approach distances were tested: 30, 15, and 5 m. Approaching penguins to 30 m had no measurable effect on either their behaviour or heart rate, while approaching as close as 15 m significantly elevated their heart rates above resting, undisturbed levels even though there was no behavioural indication of this response. Approaching penguins to 5 m significantly interrupted the penguins' incubation behaviour, with the potential to cause egg-cooling. Approaches to 5 m elevated heart rates above those measured when birds were undisturbed, approached to either 15 or 30 m, or exposed to ‘natural’ disturbances (that is, other penguins or south polar skuas, Catheracta maccormicki). The study also identified certain Adelie penguin behaviours that may be indicative of disturbance in response to human visitation. People visiting breeding penguins could learn to identify these behaviours, so they can monitor and modify any effects of their visit.

Imposing Field Boundary Conditions in MD Simulation of Fluids: Optimal Particle Controller and Buffer Zone Feedback

We formulate a method for imposing continuous field boundary conditions on an MD simulation with little or no disturbance to its dynamics. Our approach combines the previously developed thermodynamic field estimator, which extracts macroscopic fields from particle data, with a novel procedure, optimal in the sense of least disturbance, for imposing prescribed continuum field boundary conditions on the atomistic system. By means of feedback control and assuming molecular chaos in fluids, that disturbance can further be eliminated entirely, thus providing an exact solution for general steady-state fluid problems, where the desired fields at the real boundary is achieved by adjusting actions in a region separated from the real boundary by a buffer zone.