Books on the topic 'Features variability'

The study of the course "Leadership" is associated with an increasing demand for the formation and disclosure of human leadership potentials. The presented textbook allows you to carry out this work in a targeted way. It summarizes and systematizes the world experience in the development of the theory and practice of leadership, discusses the classification of types of leaders, issues of practical use in leadership scenarios of personal qualities of a person, and offers a methodology for developing team strategies and team building. The distinctive features of the proposed program are its adaptability to the socio-cultural context of Russian society and its strong connection with the task of training the future generation of leaders in the interests of the Russian state. Each of the sections of the textbook is accompanied by practical tasks, the solution of which develops the skills of self-knowledge of a person in the perspective of developing leadership potentials and understanding the variability of leadership strategies. It is focused primarily on the preparation of bachelors studying in pedagogical areas of training, but it can also serve as a basic source for training in the course "Leadership" within the framework of a bachelor's degree in the humanities and the direction of social sciences.

In recent years, endorsed by the updated (2018) version of the Common European Framework, intelligibility has replaced native-like pronunciation as a primary objective in foreign language teaching. But accent and pronunciation continue to be central issues for university students of languages. This volume presents the results of an investigation into the attitudes of some 370 first-year students at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the first such study in Italy, involving students of 13 languages, the principal ones being English, Spanish, French, German and Russian. The survey investigated the importance given to pronunciation in the foreign language, the motivation students have to improve it, and the possible conflict of identity which the acquisition of a ‘foreign’ pronunciation might incur. Students were invited to reflect on the quality and variability of their pronunciation in the two foreign languages they were studying, on their ability to assess it, on affective aspects linked to pronunciation, and on their awareness of phonetic features. They were also asked for their opinions about the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and about Italian when spoken with a foreign accent. The contributions in this volume describe the linguistic background of respondents, present and analyse the attitudes which emerge, verify the role of some independent variables (gender, plurilingualism, motivation for enrolment, languages studied, level of proficiency), and (in the case of ELF) report the findings of a follow-up study of master’s level students. The result is an overall picture likely to be of interest to anyone working in the field of university language teaching and who wishes to have a better idea of what students think about foreign language pronunciation.

A model in which monetary policy pursues fully fledged inflation targeting is adapted to Ghana. Model features include: endogenous policy credibility; non-linearities in the inflation process; and a policy loss function that aims to minimize the variability of output and the interest rate, as well as deviations of inflation from the long-term low-inflation target. The optimal approach from initial high inflation to the ultimate target is gradual; and transitional inflation-reduction objectives are flexible. Over time, as policy earns credibility, expectations of inflation converge towards the long-run target, the output-inflation variability trade-off improves, and optimal policy responses to shocks moderate.

The growth, distribution, and variability of phytoplankton populations in the North Atlantic are primarily controlled by the physical environment. This chapter provides an overview of the regional circulation of the North Atlantic, and an introduction to the key physical features and processes that affect ecosystems, and especially plankton, via the availability of light and nutrients. There is a natural seasonal cycle in primary production driven by physical processes that determine the light and nutrient levels, but the pattern has strong regional variations. The variations are determined by persistent features on the basin scale (e.g. the main currents and mixed layer regimes of the subtropical and subpolar gyres), as well as transient mesoscale features such as eddies and meanders of fronts.

Larval transport is fundamental to several ecological processes, yet it remains unresolved for the majority of systems. We define larval transport, and describe its components, namely, larval behavior and the physical transport mechanisms accounting for advection, diffusion, and their variability. We then discuss other relevant processes in larval transport, including swimming proficiency, larval duration, accumulation in propagating features, episodic larval transport, and patchiness and spatial variability in larval abundance. We address challenges and recent approaches associated with understanding larval transport, including autonomous sampling, imaging, -omics, and the exponential growth in the use of poorly tested numerical simulation models to examine larval transport and population connectivity. Thus, we discuss the promises and pitfalls of numerical modeling, concluding with recommendations on moving forward, including a need for more process-oriented understanding of the mechanisms of larval transport and the use of emergent technologies.

The eastern Arctic and Greenland are characterized by diverse paleoclimatic histories. A range of biological, geochemical, and geophysical indicators preserved in ice cores, lake, and ocean sediments, landscape features, or boreholes can be applied to reconstructing Holocene climates over the period of human occupation. Soon after humans arrived in the eastern Arctic around 4800 cal B.P., regional temperatures began to decline. While the proxy records show a strong regional signal, this period of Neoglacial cooling has considerable local variability related to degree of continentality, sea ice conditions and elevation. Much later, the effect of the Medieval Warm Period (AD 850-1360) on the Thule migration appears to have been overstated. Because of the considerable spatiotemporal variability in available paleoclimate reconstructions from the eastern Arctic, data from multiple sites must be integrated, and for archaeological applications, regional syntheses need to be considered alongside highly local reconstructions.

Chapter 7 examines a principle Aristotle formulates in Nicomachean Ethics I.3: ethics must be adequate for its domain. The ethicist must ask herself what her inquiry is about, study the nature of her theory’s subject matter, and observe norms of theorizing that are adequate for it. The subject matter of ethics is value as it figures in human life. Aristotle ascribes two features to this value: difference and variability. Other theorists, he notes, are misled by difference and variability and become relativists. They observe a lack of strict regularity and falsely conclude that the domain of value is messy, unsuitable for any general insights. In Aristotle’s view, the sphere of agency displays for the most part regularities. The chapter defends this proposal as an important metaphysical insight and discusses how it adds to the much-debated claim that situations in which agents act are particulars.

Infection by a pathogenic micro-organism triggers a coordinated activation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. The innate immune response quickly triggers an antimicrobial response that will initiate development of a pathogen-specific, long-lasting adaptive immune response. Accurate recognition of microbial-associated molecular patterns by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) is the cornerstone of this immediate response. Most studied PRRs are Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and their kinase signalling cascades that activate nuclear transcription factors, and induce gene expression and cytokine production. Deficiencies or genetic variability in these different signalling pathways may lead to recurrent pyogenic infections and severe invasive diseases. After initial contact between the host and pathogen, numerous factors mediate the inflammatory response, as pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Apart from host genetic variability, pathogen diversity also influences the phenotypic features of various infectious diseases. Genomic analysis may assist in the development of targeted therapies or new therapeutic strategies based on both patient and microorganism genotype.

This book focuses on the variability of metacognitive skills across cultures. Metacognition refers to the processes that enable agents to contextually control their first-order cognitive activity (e.g. perceiving, remembering, learning, or problem-solving) by monitoring them, i.e. assessing their likely success. It is involved in our daily observations, such as “I don’t remember where my keys are,” or “I understand your point.” These assessments may rely either on specialized feelings (e.g. the felt fluency involved in distinguishing familiar from new environments, informative from repetitive messages, difficult from easy cognitive tasks) or on folk theories about one’s own mental abilities. Variable and universal features associated with these dimensions are documented, using anthropological, linguistic, neuroscientific, and psychological evidence. Among the universal cross-cultural aspects of metacognition, children are found to be more sensitive to their own ignorance than to that of others, adults have an intuitive understanding of what counts as knowledge, and speakers are sensitive to the reliability of informational sources (independently of the way the information is linguistically expressed). On the other hand, an agent’s decisions to allocate effort, motivation to learn, and sense of being right or wrong in perceptions and memories (and other cognitive tasks) are shown to depend on specific transmitted goals, norms, and values. Metacognitive variability is seen to be modulated (among other factors) by variation in attention patterns (analytic or holistic), self-concepts (independent or interdependent), agentive properties (autonomous or heteronomous), childrearing style (individual or collective), and modes of learning (observational or pedagogical). New domains of metacognitive variability are studied, such as those generated by metacognition-oriented embodied practices (present in rituals and religious worship) and by culture-specific lay theories about subjective uncertainty and knowledge regarding natural or supernatural entities.

This chapter summarizes the anatomical features of right heart valves. The tricuspid valve usually comprises three leaflets (anterior, septal, and posterior) separated by three commissures (anteroseptal, posteroseptal, and anteroposterior). The tricuspid valve apparatus consists of papillary muscles and chordae with high variability in number, length, shape, and arrangement of papillary muscles. The tricuspid valve leaflets are attached to a fibrous annulus with an ovoid saddle shape. The pulmonary valve and the aortic valve have identical architecture: three cusps (anterior, left, and right) separated by commissures, a fibrous ring, sinuses, and the sinotubular junction. Good knowledge of tricuspid and pulmonary valve functional anatomy is of clinical importance in the understanding of primary and secondary valvular dysfunction and in the development of new surgical and percutaneous therapeutic strategies.

Chapter 3 deals with the abiotic environment in high altitude lakes and streams worldwide. It searches for general patterns in relation to altitude, without overlooking the enormous variability, both temporally as well as at small and large spatial scales. Overall, environmental conditions in high altitude waters may be regarded as harsh. Indeed, certain features such as low temperature, low oxygen pressure, and high ultraviolet radiation (all a direct result of high altitude) as well as transparent and ion-poor waters with low nutrient concentrations are typical of high altitude aquatic systems. However, streams and lakes turbid from inflow of glacial meltwater loaded with glacial mineral flour and peatbogs with deep brown water from a high concentration of coloured dissolved organic matter are equally prominent. So, evidently, environmental conditions in aquatic systems are probably just as variable at high as at low altitudes.

This chapter discusses the nature of English as a lingua franca (ELF) as uniquely complex ‘second order language contact’, which arises from contact between ‘similects’ of speakers from given first language backgrounds. The data is drawn from speech in academic communities. ELF is best understood as operating on three levels: the macro-social, the micro-social, and the cognitive. English as a lingua franca is largely similar to English as a native language in comparable social circumstances, but it also manifests lexico-grammatical features that are clearly different: nonstandard grammatical and lexical forms are relatively common, together with lexical simplification in a statistical sense. As speakers make competent use of discourse phenomena for communicative success, it seems that lexico-grammatical accuracy may be less crucial to communication. The findings lend support to modelling language processes as discourse-driven, fuzzy and approximate, with a high level of tolerance for variability in form.

This chapter lays out in general terms how Spinoza uses the tools of conceptual sensitivity, variability, and identification to satisfy these competing desiderata of perfection. At its core, Spinoza’s strategy appeals to one of the most interesting features of concepts: one thing can be truly conceived in a variety of ways, even when the different ways involve distinctive content. This will be the key to Spinoza’s reconciliation project. If the world’s diversity is conceptually structured in the right ways, then Spinoza will be able to show how diversity is consistent with the various identity theses he also defends. We will then be primed to see how and why many of Spinoza’s central metaphysical views utilize this conceptualist machinery. Having focused on the more familiar cases of attribute and causal structure plenitude here, the rest of the book unpacks the consequences of Spinoza’s conceptualist gambit for his metaphysics and ethics.

This chapter provides an overview of the alignment splits found in most Iranian languages, focussing on their historical emergence, and their currently attested variability. Following Haig (2008), the origins of ergativity in Iranian are linked to pre-existing, non-canonical subject constructions typically involving Benefactives, External Possessors, and Experiencers, which then extended to clauses with participial predicates expressing agentive semantics. The current variation found in the ergative-like constructions is illustrated through three case-studies of dialectal microvariation: Kurdish, Balochi, and Taleshi. It is argued that the variation in the ergative constructions of the modern languages should be viewed as resulting from the interplay of partially independent changes working through distinct sub-systems, in particular case-marking, agreement, and pronominal clitic systems, rather than in terms of monolithic shifts from one alignment type to another. From this perspective, ergativity is merely a taxonomic label for a particular constellation of case and agreement features, with no more theoretical significance than any of the other attested constellations.

Results of the rescue excavations of the multilayered Late Paleolithic site of Afontova Gora II in 2014 are described. Th e monograph presents the data derived in the course of the interdisciplinary studies including detailed analyses of the stratigraphy and geomorphology of the study areas on the slopes of Afontova Gora. Th e results of fi eld and laboratory studies of archaeological and paleontological collections and morphological and genetic analyses of paleoanthropological materials are provided. Based on the technical-typological analysis of stone and bone implements, the variability of tradition within the Afontova archaeological culture is shown. Th e analysis of the spatial distribution of artifacts reveals the features of activity zones in the season camps of mobile groups of the ancient population. Th e time of accumulation of the culture-bearing deposits has been established through a set of new 14C and AMS dates. The publication is addressed to archaeologists, paleontologists, anthropologists, humanity students and specialists in preservation of the archaeological heritage.

Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) is an important cause of childhood renal- and liver-related morbidity and mortality with variable disease expression. Many patients manifest peri- or neonatally with a mortality rate of 30–50%, whereas others survive to adulthood with only minor clinical features. ARPKD is typically caused by mutations in the PKHD1 gene that encodes a 4074-amino acid type 1 single-pass transmembrane protein called fibrocystin or polyductin. Fibrocystin/polyductin is among other cystoproteins expressed in primary cilia, basal bodies, and centrosomes, but its exact function has still not been fully unravelled. Mutations were found to be scattered throughout the gene with many of them being private to single families. Correlations have been drawn for the type of mutation rather than for the site of the individual mutation. Virtually all patients carrying two truncating mutations display a severe phenotype with peri- or neonatal demise while surviving patients bear at least one hypomorphic missense mutation. However, about 20–30% of all sibships exhibit major intrafamilial phenotypic variability and it becomes increasingly obvious that ARPKD is clinically and genetically much more heterogeneous and complex than previously thought.

This chapter argues that the extreme variability of schizophrenic phenotypes is a paradigmatic case study for explicating the dialectics between uncanny feelings of depersonalization/derealization and the attitude of the person who experiences them. Why do persons who suffer from these kinds of anomalous self-, body-, and world-experiences develop either a delusional form of schizophrenia or a ‘pauci-symptomatic’ type of this illness, or a schizotypal personality disorder? Why do delusions in people with schizophrenia take on so many different themes, and not only ontological ones, but also, for example, persecutory, hypochondriac, of reference, of agnition (filiation), external influence, etc.? If we subscribe to the ‘one root–many branches’ conceptualization of the manifold of schizophrenia, then we must be able to explain why, arising from the common root of self-disorders, schizophrenic phenotypes take on so many different features. A plausible answer is that self-disorder, being at the core of the vulnerability to schizophrenia, is refracted through the prism of the person’s background of values and beliefs that determine what things and events in the world mean for them. This personal background is a pre-reflective context of meaning and significance within which and against which persons understand themselves, others, and their world.

Ecologists now recognize that the dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems are strongly affected by adaptive individual behaviors. Yet until now, we have lacked effective and flexible methods for modeling such dynamics. Traditional ecological models become impractical with the inclusion of behavior, and the optimization approaches of behavioral ecology cannot be used when future conditions are unpredictable due to feedbacks from the behavior of other individuals. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to state- and prediction-based theory, or SPT, a powerful new approach to modeling trade-off behaviors in contexts such as individual-based population models where feedbacks and variability make optimization impossible. This book features a wealth of examples that range from highly simplified behavior models to complex population models in which individuals make adaptive trade-off decisions about habitat and activity selection in highly heterogeneous environments. The book explains how SPT builds on key concepts from the state-based dynamic modeling theory of behavioral ecology, and how it combines explicit predictions of future conditions with approximations of a fitness measure to represent how individuals make good—not optimal—decisions that they revise as conditions change. The resulting models are realistic, testable, adaptable, and invaluable for answering fundamental questions in ecology and forecasting ecological outcomes of real-world scenarios.

The last book-length study of Scottish population history was published in 1977, and it stopped in 1939. This book uses much hitherto unexploited material to throw new light on many topics. It sets current and recent population changes in their long-term context, exploring how the legacies of past demographic change have combined with a history of weak industrial investment, employment insecurity, deprivation and poor living conditions to produce the population profiles and changes of Scotland today. A major argument of this book is that Scotland has had multiple population histories, with great variability in population change, migration patterns, nuptiality, fertility, and mortality, and that these can be directly linked to its wide diversity of topography, climate and natural resources, which are in turn significantly linked to the many differences in local agrarian systems, settlement patterns and housing, transport accessibility, and local industries and other employments. This diversity and these linkages are explored throughout the book. However, the book also shows that, on all the major demographic variables, there have been features that stand out as making Scotland different both from England and Wales and from other parts of Europe. Emigration was higher, nuptiality lower, marital fertility higher until the 1980s, and mortality persistently higher, especially in the West Central Belt of the country; the only exception, in a comparative context, was low infant mortality in the later nineteenth century. The reasons behind these differences are extensively explored.

Lifeline for about one-sixth of the world’s population in the subcontinent, the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) is an integral part of the annual cycle of the winds (reversal of winds with seasons), coupled with a strong annual cycle of precipitation (wet summer and dry winter). For over a century, high socioeconomic impacts of ISM rainfall (ISMR) in the region have driven scientists to attempt to predict the year-to-year variations of ISM rainfall. A remarkably stable phenomenon, making its appearance every year without fail, the ISM climate exhibits a rather small year-to-year variation (the standard deviation of the seasonal mean being 10% of the long-term mean), but it has proven to be an extremely challenging system to predict. Even the most skillful, sophisticated models are barely useful with skill significantly below the potential limit on predictability. Understanding what drives the mean ISM climate and its variability on different timescales is, therefore, critical to advancing skills in predicting the monsoon. A conceptual ISM model helps explain what maintains not only the mean ISM but also its variability on interannual and longer timescales.The annual ISM precipitation cycle can be described as a manifestation of the seasonal migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) or the zonally oriented cloud (rain) band characterized by a sudden “onset.” The other important feature of ISM is the deep overturning meridional (regional Hadley circulation) that is associated with it, driven primarily by the latent heat release associated with the ISM (ITCZ) precipitation. The dynamics of the monsoon climate, therefore, is an extension of the dynamics of the ITCZ. The classical land–sea surface temperature gradient model of ISM may explain the seasonal reversal of the surface winds, but it fails to explain the onset and the deep vertical structure of the ISM circulation. While the surface temperature over land cools after the onset, reversing the north–south surface temperature gradient and making it inadequate to sustain the monsoon after onset, it is the tropospheric temperature gradient that becomes positive at the time of onset and remains strongly positive thereafter, maintaining the monsoon. The change in sign of the tropospheric temperature (TT) gradient is dynamically responsible for a symmetric instability, leading to the onset and subsequent northward progression of the ITCZ. The unified ISM model in terms of the TT gradient provides a platform to understand the drivers of ISM variability by identifying processes that affect TT in the north and the south and influence the gradient.The predictability of the seasonal mean ISM is limited by interactions of the annual cycle and higher frequency monsoon variability within the season. The monsoon intraseasonal oscillation (MISO) has a seminal role in influencing the seasonal mean and its interannual variability. While ISM climate on long timescales (e.g., multimillennium) largely follows the solar forcing, on shorter timescales the ISM variability is governed by the internal dynamics arising from ocean–atmosphere–land interactions, regional as well as remote, together with teleconnections with other climate modes. Also important is the role of anthropogenic forcing, such as the greenhouse gases and aerosols versus the natural multidecadal variability in the context of the recent six-decade long decreasing trend of ISM rainfall.

This chapter investigates the amount of variability in individual turnout decisions over time and its dependence on the changing characteristics of political parties as one feature of the political context. Electoral participation in the German federal elections from 1994 to 2013 was characterized by inertia for most eligible voters. However, one reason for dynamics in turnout behavior is changes in individual alienation with regard to the political parties. When voters develop a more favorable view of the political parties than in the previous election in terms of the parties’ generalized evaluation or perceived competence, they are motivated to switch from abstention to voting (and vice versa). But the political parties’ capacity to raise turnout rates is rather narrow compared to the influence of other determinants, such as the perceived duty to vote.

This chapter identifies three important developments in the field of late medieval computational astronomy and discusses their influence on the calendar-reform debate. First on is the evolution of astronomically ‘enhanced’ calendars and related lunar tables or almanacs, whose dissemination in a variety of forms and different languages became a central feature of astronomical culture between 1290 and 1500. Next in line are some new departures in observational and mathematical astronomy in the 1290s, which led Latin Christian authors to reconsider key questions such as the length and long-term variability of the solar year. Finally, there is the introduction of the Alfonsine Tables in 1320s Paris, which laid the basis for the gradual formation of a European-wide standard for computational astronomy, but also fostered continuing doubts about the accuracy of individual parameters and the Alfonsine theory of precession.

The strongest Indian summer monsoon (ISM) on the planet features prolonged clustered spells of wet and dry conditions often lasting for two to three weeks, known as active and break monsoons. The active and break monsoons are attributed to a quasi-periodic intraseasonal oscillation (ISO), which is an extremely important form of the ISM variability bridging weather and climate variation. The ISO over India is part of the ISO in global tropics. The latter is one of the most important meteorological phenomena discovered during the 20th century (Madden & Julian, 1971, 1972). The extreme dry and wet events are regulated by the boreal summer ISO (BSISO). The BSISO over Indian monsoon region consists of northward propagating 30–60 day and westward propagating 10–20 day modes. The “clustering” of synoptic activity was separately modulated by both the 30–60 day and 10–20 day BSISO modes in approximately equal amounts. The clustering is particularly strong when the enhancement effect from both modes acts in concert. The northward propagation of BSISO is primarily originated from the easterly vertical shear (increasing easterly winds with height) of the monsoon flows, which by interacting with the BSISO convective system can generate boundary layer convergence to the north of the convective system that promotes its northward movement. The BSISO-ocean interaction through wind-evaporation feedback and cloud-radiation feedback can also contribute to the northward propagation of BSISO from the equator. The 10–20 day oscillation is primarily produced by convectively coupled Rossby waves modified by the monsoon mean flows. Using coupled general circulation models (GCMs) for ISO prediction is an important advance in subseasonal forecasts. The major modes of ISO over Indian monsoon region are potentially predictable up to 40–45 days as estimated by multiple GCM ensemble hindcast experiments. The current dynamical models’ prediction skills for the large initial amplitude cases are approximately 20–25 days, but the prediction of developing BSISO disturbance is much more difficult than the prediction of the mature BSISO disturbances. This article provides a synthesis of our current knowledge on the observed spatial and temporal structure of the ISO over India and the important physical processes through which the BSISO regulates the ISM active-break cycles and severe weather events. Our present capability and shortcomings in simulating and predicting the monsoon ISO and outstanding issues are also discussed.

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science. Please check back later for the full article.The concept of statistical downscaling or empirical-statistical downscaling became a distinct and important scientific approach in climate science in recent decades, when the climate change issue and assessment of climate change impact on various social and natural systems have become international challenges. Global climate models are the best tools for estimating future climate conditions. Even if improvements can be made in state-of-the art global climate models, in terms of spatial resolution and their performance in simulation of climate characteristics, they are still skillful only in reproducing large-scale feature of climate variability, such as global mean temperature or various circulation patterns (e.g., the North Atlantic Oscillation). However, these models are not able to provide reliable information on local climate characteristics (mean temperature, total precipitation), especially on extreme weather and climate events. The main reason for this failure is the influence of local geographical features on the local climate, as well as other factors related to surrounding large-scale conditions, the influence of which cannot be correctly taken into consideration by the current dynamical global models.Impact models, such as hydrological and crop models, need high resolution information on various climate parameters on the scale of a river basin or a farm, scales that are not available from the usual global climate models. Downscaling techniques produce regional climate information on finer scale, from global climate change scenarios, based on the assumption that there is a systematic link between the large-scale and local climate. Two types of downscaling approaches are known: a) dynamical downscaling is based on regional climate models nested in a global climate model; and b) statistical downscaling is based on developing statistical relationships between large-scale atmospheric variables (predictors), available from global climate models, and observed local-scale variables of interest (predictands).Various types of empirical-statistical downscaling approaches can be placed approximately in linear and nonlinear groupings. The empirical-statistical downscaling techniques focus more on details related to the nonlinear models—their validation, strengths, and weaknesses—in comparison to linear models or the mixed models combining the linear and nonlinear approaches. Stochastic models can be applied to daily and sub-daily precipitation in Romania, with a comparison to dynamical downscaling. Conditional stochastic models are generally specific for daily or sub-daily precipitation as predictand.A complex validation of the nonlinear statistical downscaling models, selection of the large-scale predictors, model ability to reproduce historical trends, extreme events, and the uncertainty related to future downscaled changes are important issues. A better estimation of the uncertainty related to downscaled climate change projections can be achieved by using ensembles of more global climate models as drivers, including their ability to simulate the input in downscaling models. Comparison between future statistical downscaled climate signals and those derived from dynamical downscaling driven by the same global model, including a complex validation of the regional climate models, gives a measure of the reliability of downscaled regional climate changes.

Chapter 2 covers Ichthyoses (Bullous Congenital Ichthyosiform Erythroderma, Harlequin Ichthyosis, Ichthyosis Bullosa of Siemens, Ichthyosis Hystrix, Ichthyosis Vulgaris, Lamellar Exfoliation of the Newborn, Lamellar Ichthyosis/Nonbullous Congenital Ichthyosiform Erythroderma, Netherton Syndrome, Peeling Skin Syndrome, Restrictive Dermopathy, and X-linked Recessive Ichthyosis), Erythrokeratodermas (Erythrokeratodermia Variabilis ET PROGESSIVA, and Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris), Acrokeratoderma (Acrokeratoelastoidosis, Acrokeratosis Verruciformis (HOPF)), Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratodermas (Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratoderma with Deafness, Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratoderma Epidermolytic Hyperkeratosis, Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratoderma Howel-Evans, Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratoderma Olmsted, Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratoderma Punctate, Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratoderma Striata, Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratoderma Unna-Thost, Hereditary Palmoplantar Keratoderma Vohwinkel, Keratolytic Winter Erythema, Mal de Meleda, Papillon-Lefèvre, Scleroatrophic and Keratotic Dermatosis of the Limbs), Porokeratoses (Porokeratosis of Mibelli), Other Disorders of the Epidermis (Absence of Dermatoglyphics, Acanthosis Nigricans, Darier-White Disease, Hereditary Painful Callosities, Keratosis Follicularis Spinulosa Decalvans, Knuckle Pads, Kyrle/Flegel Disease, Ulerythema Ophryogenes), Syndromic Disorders (CHILD Syndrome, Chondrodysplasia Punctata, Ichthyosis with Hypogonadism, KID Syndrome, Neu-Laxova Syndrome, Neutral Lipid Storage Disease with Ichthyosis, Refsum Disease, Richner-Hanhart Syndrome, Sjögren-Larsson Syndrome), Cohesion (Epidermolysis Bullosa, Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex Dowling-Meara, Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex Generalized, Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex Localized, Epidermolysis Bullosa Junctional Generalized, Epidermolysis Bullosa Junctional Generalized Atrophic Benign, Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica Cockayne-Touraine, Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica, Hallopeau-Siemens, Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica Pretibial, Transient Bullous Dermolysis of the Newborn, Hailey-Hailey Disease). Each condition is discussed in detail, including dermatologic features, associated anomalies, histopathology, basic defect, treatment, mode of inheritance, prenatal diagnosis, and differential diagnosis.

An analysis of the existing literature on the issue of damage to regeneration caused by timber harvesting, revealed that a great majority of results reported in those publications was obtained through laborious and time-consuming field research conducted in two stages. Field research methods for gathering data, employed by various authors, differed in terms of the manner of establishing trial plots, the accuracy of counting and evaluating the number of saplings growing on the investigated sites, classification systems used for distinguishing particular groups of regeneration based on quantitative (diameter at breast height, tree height) and qualitative features (biosocial position within the certain layer and the entire stand), classification systems used for identifying types of damage caused by cutting and felling, as well as transporting operations, and finally the duration of observation intervals and time spent on gathering data on the response of damaged saplings from both, the individual and collective perspectives. Obviously, the most reliable manner of gathering such data would be to count all damaged elements of the environment being a subject of interest of particular investigators at the certain point of time. However, due to time and work consumption of this approach, which is besides very costly, any research should be designed in such a manner as to reduce the above-mentioned factors. This paper aimed to (1) analyse the probability of occurrence of damage to regeneration depending on the form of timber assortments dragged from the felling site to the skidding routes, and timber harvesting technology employed in logging works, and (2) identify a method ensuring that gathered data is sufficient for performing reliable evaluation of share of damage to regeneration at acceptable accuracy level, without necessity to establish trial plots before commencing harvesting works. The scope of these studies enclosed a comparison between two motor-manual methods of timber harvesting in thinned stands, with dragging of timber in the first stage of skidding from the stand to landings. According to one of these methods, a classical one, operations of felling and delimbing of trees were carried out by sawmen at the felling site. Timber obtained using different methods was skidded by carters and horses, and operators of a light-duty cable winch, driven by the chainsaw’s engine, as well as operators of cable winches combined with farm tractors. In the latter, alternative method, sawmen performed only cutting and felling of trees. Delimbing and cross-cutting of trunks, dragged from the felling sites, was carried out by operators of processors combined with farm tractors, worked on skidding routes. The research was conducted in the years 2002–2010 in stands within the age classes II–IV mostly, located in the territories of Regional Directorates of State Forests in Krakow and Katowice, and in the Forest Experimental Unit in Krynica-Zdrój. In the course of a preliminary stage of investigations 102 trial plots were established in stands within early and late tinning treatments. As a result of the field research carried out in two stages, more than 3.25 thsd. circular sites were established and marked, on the surface of which over 25 thsd. saplings constituting the regeneration layer were inventoried. Based on the results of investigations and analyses it was revealed that regardless of the category of thinning treatment, the highest probability of occurrence of destroying P(ZN) to regeneration (0.24–0.44) should be expected when the first stage of timber skidding is performed using cable winches. Slightly lower values of probability (0.17–0.33) should be expected in stands where timber is skidded by horses, while in respect to processor-based skidding technology the probability of destroying occurrence oscillates between 0.12 and 0.27, depending on the particular layer of regeneration. P(ZN) values, very close to those of skidding technology engaging processors, were recorded for skidding performed using the light-duty cable winch driven by the chainsaw’s engine (0.16–0.27). The highest probability of damage P(USZK) to regeneration (0.16–0.31) can be expected when processors are used in the first stage of timber skidding. Slightly lower values of probability (0.14–0.23) were obtained when skidding was performed with the use of cable winches, whereas engaging horses for hauling of trunks results in probability of damage occnrrence oscillating between 0.05–0.20, depending on the particular layer of regeneration. With regard to the probability of occurrence of both, destroying and damage P(ZNUSZK) to regeneration (0.33–0.54), the highest values can be expected when cable winches are engaged in the first stage of skidding. Little lower (0.30–0.43) was the probability of their occurrence if processor-based technology of skidding was employed, while in respect to horse skidding these values oscillated between 0.27–0.41, depending on the layer of regeneration. The lowest values of probability of occurrence of damage P(USZK), and destroying and damage treated collectively P(ZNUSZK), within all layers of regeneration, were recorded in stands where thinning treatments were performed using the light-duty cable winch driven by the chainsaw’s engine. The models evaluated and respective equations, developed based on those models, for evaluating the number of destroyed saplings ZNha (tab. 40, 42, 44, 46, 48) could be used for determining the share of damage expressed as a percentage, upon conducting only one field research at the investigated felling sites, once the timber harvesting and skidding would have been completed. As revealed by the results of analyses, evaluation of statistically significant regression models was possible for all layers of regeneration (tab. 39, 41, 43, 45, 47). Nevertheless, the smallest part of these models that could be considered positively verified, were those for the natural young regeneration, although almost a half of them revealed to be significant. Within the medium-sized regeneration over three-fourths of all models could be considered positively verified, four of which explained more than 50% of variability. Within the high-sized regeneration almost two-thirds of evaluated regression models were statistically significant, five of which were verified positively, moreover, one of them explained more than 50% of variability. The most promising results were those obtained for the advance growth. Nearly 90% of the evaluated models revealed to be statistically significant, ten of which could be considered positively verified. Furthermore, four statistically significant models explained over 50% of general variability. With regard to the entire regeneration more than 80% of evaluated models were statistically significant. However, due to insignificant coefficients of regression, eight of them could be considered positively verified. At this point it should be stressed that in respect to logging technology employing the light-duty cable winch FKS it was impossible to evaluate statistically significant models of regression. Whereas, in the case of processor-based logging technology, firstly regarding the advance growth, and then the entire regeneration, all of the evaluated statistically significant models could be considered positively verified, in terms of both, all of the stands, and particular categories of thinning treatments individually. This latter case also revealed the highest degree of matching of evaluated models (R2 popr 0.73–0.76 for advance growth and 0.78–0.94 for the entire regeneration). A significant impact of the kind of form of hauled timber on the probability of damage occurrence P(USZK), mainly in early thinning treatments, could have been reflected in the results obtained for all stands (early and late thinning treated collectively). Moreover, due to an insignificant impact of the form of hauled timber and logging technology employed, on the probability of occurrence of damage in late thinned stands, and a significant impact of the above-mentioned variables on early thinned stands, it should be assumed that for performing an evaluation of destroying and damage caused by timber harvesting the both thinning treatment categories should be analysed separately. Furthermore, when evaluating the probability of occurrence of destroying and damage caused by timber harvesting, the layers of natural young regeneration and advance growth should be analysed separately. As proved by the results presented in this paper, varying values of probability computed for each of the layers of regeneration seem to indicate that when investigating damage to regeneration caused by timber harvesting, it would be reasonable and recommended to perform a separate analysis of damage to the highest saplings as well, namely individuals with diameter at breast height close to 7 cm. In respect to studies on damage to regeneration caused by logging technologies mentioned above, the evaluation of number of destroyed saplings within the advance growth can be carried out using the proportions of damaged and undamaged saplings per 1 ha of the stand. The numbers evaluated in this manner can be used to calculate the damage share expressed in relative values (percentage of damaged saplings compared with the entire number of saplings before commencing the logging works). However, one should keep in mind that this is true only if the field research have been carried out based on the methodology described in this paper.

Hard coal mining is characterised by features that pose numerous challenges to its current operations and cause strategic and operational problems in planning its development. The most important of these include the high capital intensity of mining investment projects and the dynamically changing environment in which the sector operates, while the long-term role of the sector is dependent on factors originating at both national and international level. At the same time, the conditions for coal mining are deteriorating, the resources more readily available in active mines are being exhausted, mining depths are increasing, temperature levels in pits are rising, transport routes for staff and materials are getting longer, effective working time is decreasing, natural hazards are increasing, and seams with an increasing content of waste rock are being mined. The mining industry is currently in a very difficult situation, both in technical (mining) and economic terms. It cannot be ignored, however, that the difficult financial situation of Polish mining companies is largely exacerbated by their high operating costs. The cost of obtaining coal and its price are two key elements that determine the level of efficiency of Polish mines. This situation could be improved by streamlining the planning processes. This would involve striving for production planning that is as predictable as possible and, on the other hand, economically efficient. In this respect, it is helpful to plan the production from operating longwalls with full awareness of the complexity of geological and mining conditions and the resulting economic consequences. The constraints on increasing the efficiency of the mining process are due to the technical potential of the mining process, organisational factors and, above all, geological and mining conditions. The main objective of the monograph is to identify relations between geological and mining parameters and the level of longwall mining costs, and their daily output. In view of the above, it was assumed that it was possible to present the relationship between the costs of longwall mining and the daily coal output from a longwall as a function of onerous geological and mining factors. The monograph presents two models of onerous geological and mining conditions, including natural hazards, deposit (seam) parameters, mining (technical) parameters and environmental factors. The models were used to calculate two onerousness indicators, Wue and WUt, which synthetically define the level of impact of onerous geological and mining conditions on the mining process in relation to: —— operating costs at longwall faces – indicator WUe, —— daily longwall mining output – indicator WUt. In the next research step, the analysis of direct relationships of selected geological and mining factors with longwall costs and the mining output level was conducted. For this purpose, two statistical models were built for the following dependent variables: unit operating cost (Model 1) and daily longwall mining output (Model 2). The models served two additional sub-objectives: interpretation of the influence of independent variables on dependent variables and point forecasting. The models were also used for forecasting purposes. Statistical models were built on the basis of historical production results of selected seven Polish mines. On the basis of variability of geological and mining conditions at 120 longwalls, the influence of individual parameters on longwall mining between 2010 and 2019 was determined. The identified relationships made it possible to formulate numerical forecast of unit production cost and daily longwall mining output in relation to the level of expected onerousness. The projection period was assumed to be 2020–2030. On this basis, an opinion was formulated on the forecast of the expected unit production costs and the output of the 259 longwalls planned to be mined at these mines. A procedure scheme was developed using the following methods: 1) Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) – mathematical multi-criteria decision-making method, 2) comparative multivariate analysis, 3) regression analysis, 4) Monte Carlo simulation. The utilitarian purpose of the monograph is to provide the research community with the concept of building models that can be used to solve real decision-making problems during longwall planning in hard coal mines. The layout of the monograph, consisting of an introduction, eight main sections and a conclusion, follows the objectives set out above. Section One presents the methodology used to assess the impact of onerous geological and mining conditions on the mining process. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is reviewed and basic definitions used in the following part of the paper are introduced. The section includes a description of AHP which was used in the presented analysis. Individual factors resulting from natural hazards, from the geological structure of the deposit (seam), from limitations caused by technical requirements, from the impact of mining on the environment, which affect the mining process, are described exhaustively in Section Two. Sections Three and Four present the construction of two hierarchical models of geological and mining conditions onerousness: the first in the context of extraction costs and the second in relation to daily longwall mining. The procedure for valuing the importance of their components by a group of experts (pairwise comparison of criteria and sub-criteria on the basis of Saaty’s 9-point comparison scale) is presented. The AHP method is very sensitive to even small changes in the value of the comparison matrix. In order to determine the stability of the valuation of both onerousness models, a sensitivity analysis was carried out, which is described in detail in Section Five. Section Six is devoted to the issue of constructing aggregate indices, WUe and WUt, which synthetically measure the impact of onerous geological and mining conditions on the mining process in individual longwalls and allow for a linear ordering of longwalls according to increasing levels of onerousness. Section Seven opens the research part of the work, which analyses the results of the developed models and indicators in individual mines. A detailed analysis is presented of the assessment of the impact of onerous mining conditions on mining costs in selected seams of the analysed mines, and in the case of the impact of onerous mining on daily longwall mining output, the variability of this process in individual fields (lots) of the mines is characterised. Section Eight presents the regression equations for the dependence of the costs and level of extraction on the aggregated onerousness indicators, WUe and WUt. The regression models f(KJC_N) and f(W) developed in this way are used to forecast the unit mining costs and daily output of the designed longwalls in the context of diversified geological and mining conditions. The use of regression models is of great practical importance. It makes it possible to approximate unit costs and daily output for newly designed longwall workings. The use of this knowledge may significantly improve the quality of planning processes and the effectiveness of the mining process.

The El Niño Modoki/La Niña Modoki (ENSO Modoki) is a newly acknowledged face of ocean-atmosphere coupled variability in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The oceanic and atmospheric conditions associated with the El Niño Modoki are different from that of canonical El Niño, which is extensively studied for its dynamics and worldwide impacts. A typical El Niño event is marked by a warm anomaly of sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial eastern Pacific. Because of the associated changes in the surface winds and the weakening of coastal upwelling, the coasts of South America suffer from widespread fish mortality during the event. Quite opposite of this characteristic change in the ocean condition, cold SST anomalies prevail in the eastern equatorial Pacific during the El Niño Modoki events, but with the warm anomalies intensified in the central Pacific. The boreal winter condition of 2004 is a typical example of such an event, when a tripole pattern is noticed in the SST anomalies; warm central Pacific flanked by cold eastern and western regions. The SST anomalies are coupled to a double cell in anomalous Walker circulation with rising motion in the central parts and sinking motion on both sides of the basin. This is again a different feature compared to the well-known single-cell anomalous Walker circulation during El Niños. La Niña Modoki is the opposite phase of the El Niño Modoki, when a cold central Pacific is flanked by warm anomalies on both sides.The Modoki events are seen to peak in both boreal summer and winter and hence are not seasonally phase-locked to a single seasonal cycle like El Niño/La Niña events. Because of this distinction in the seasonality, the teleconnection arising from these events will vary between the seasons as teleconnection path will vary depending on the prevailing seasonal mean conditions in the atmosphere. Moreover, the Modoki El Niño/La Niña impacts over regions such as the western coast of the United States, the Far East including Japan, Australia, and southern Africa, etc., are opposite to those of the canonical El Niño/La Niña. For example, the western coasts of the United States suffer from severe droughts during El Niño Modoki, whereas those regions are quite wet during El Niño. The influences of Modoki events are also seen in tropical cyclogenesis, stratosphere warming of the Southern Hemisphere, ocean primary productivity, river discharges, sea level variations, etc. A remarkable feature associated with Modoki events is the decadal flattening of the equatorial thermocline and weakening of zonal thermal gradient. The associated ocean-atmosphere conditions have caused frequent and persistent developments of Modoki events in recent decades.