Whereas short-term (minutes) plasticity is either presynaptic or postsynaptic, long-term (days) plasticity involves synaptic remodeling and growth, which require both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. In addition, an intermediate-term stage has been identified that lasts tens of minutes and involves the recruitment of synaptic proteins but not growth. These findings have raised two fundamental questions: How are the different stages of plasticity related, and when and how does plasticity spread from one side of the synapse to both sides? Studies of the mechanisms of short-term and intermediate-term facilitation in Aplysia have begun to answer these questions. Intermediate-term facilitation is the first stage to involve both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. Furthermore, increased spontaneous transmitter release from the presynaptic neuron during the short-term stage acts as an anterograde signal to recruit postsynaptic mechanisms of intermediate-term facilitation, which may be first steps in a cascade that can lead to synaptic growth during long-term facilitation.
In 1986, the Cold War was winding down, yet under the seas the game of cat and mouse between Soviet and American submarines continued unabated. Off the coast of North Carolina, an aging Soviet ballistic missile submarine suffered a catastrophe accident and came within moments of melting down. Had it exploded, the entire East Coast of the U.S. would have been blanketed in radioactive fallout. The death toll would have made Chernobyl seem like a traffic accident. This is the gripping, true story of 60 young Soviet men who fought--and died--to save our lives. Photo insert. Foreward by Tom Clancy. Martin's Press.
Whereas short-term (minutes) plasticity is either presynaptic or postsynaptic, long-term (days) plasticity involves synaptic remodeling and growth, which require both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. In addition, an intermediate-term stage has been identified that lasts tens of minutes and involves the recruitment of synaptic proteins but not growth. These findings have raised two fundamental questions: How are the different stages of plasticity related, and when and how does plasticity spread from one side of the synapse to both sides? Studies of the mechanisms of short-term and intermediate-term facilitation in Aplysia have begun to answer these questions. Intermediate-term facilitation is the first stage to involve both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. Furthermore, increased spontaneous transmitter release from the presynaptic neuron during the short-term stage acts as an anterograde signal to recruit postsynaptic mechanisms of intermediate-term facilitation, which may be first steps in a cascade that can lead to synaptic growth during long-term facilitation.
&Quot;This book is devoted to the physical properties of non-ideal plasma which are compressed so strongly that the effects of interparticle interactions govern its behavior. In this volume, the methods of non-ideal plasma generation and diagnostics are considered. The experimental results are given and the main theoretical models of the non-ideal plasma state are discussed. The problems of thermodynamics, electro-physics, optics and dynamic stability are covered."--BOOK JACKET.
The Korean War (1950-1953) was the first - and only - full-scale air war in the jet age. It was in the skies of North Korea where Soviet and American pilots came together in fierce aerial clashes. The best pilots of the opposing systems, the most powerful air forces, and the most up-to-date aircraft in the world in this period of history came together in pitched air battles. The analysis of the air war showed that the powerful United States Air Force and its allies were unable to achieve complete superiority in the air and were unable to fulfill all the tasks they'd been given. Soviet pilots and Soviet jet fighters, which were in no way inferior to their opponents and in certain respects were even superior to them, was the reason for this. The combat experience and new tactical aerial combat tactics, which were tested for the first time in the skies of Korea, have been eagerly studied and applied by modern air forces around the world today. This book fully discusses the Soviet participation in the Korean War and presents a view of this war from the opposite side, which is still not well known in the West from the multitude of publications by Western historians. The reason for this, of course, is the fact that Soviet records pertaining to the Korean War were for a long time highly classified, since Soviet air units were fighting in the skies of North Korea "incognito", so to speak or even more so to write about this was strictly forbidden in the Soviet Union right up to its ultimate collapse. The given work is in essence the first major work in the post-Soviet era. First published in a small edition in Russian in 1998, it was republished in Russia in 2007. For the first time, the Western reader can become acquainted with the most detailed and informative work existing on the course of the air war from the Soviet side, now in English language. The work rests primarily on the recollections of veterans of this war on the so-called 'Red' side - Soviet fighter pilots, who took direct part in this war on the side of North Korea. Their stories have been supplemented with an enormous amount of archival documents, as well as the work of Western historians. The author presents a literal day-by-day chronicle of the aerial combats and combat work of Soviet fighter regiments in the period between 1950 and 1953, and dedicates this work to all the men on both sides who fought and died in the Korean air war.
A UNIQUE ENGINEERING AND STATISTICAL APPROACH TO OPTIMAL RESOURCE ALLOCATION Optimal Resource Allocation: With Practical Statistical Applications and Theory features the application of probabilistic and statistical methods used in reliability engineering during the different phases of life cycles of technical systems. Bridging the gap between reliability engineering and applied mathematics, the book outlines different approaches to optimal resource allocation and various applications of models and algorithms for solving real-world problems. In addition, the fundamental background on optimization theory and various illustrative numerical examples are provided. The book also features: An overview of various approaches to optimal resource allocation, from classical Lagrange methods to modern algorithms based on ideas of evolution in biology Numerous exercises and case studies from a variety of areas, including communications, transportation, energy transmission, and counterterrorism protection The applied methods of optimization with various methods of optimal redundancy problem solutions as well as the numerical examples and statistical methods needed to solve the problems Practical thoughts, opinions, and judgments on real-world applications of reliability theory and solves practical problems using mathematical models and algorithms Optimal Resource Allocation is a must-have guide for electrical, mechanical, and reliability engineers dealing with engineering design and optimal reliability problems. In addition, the book is excellent for graduate and PhD-level courses in reliability theory and optimization.
In 1945, both the U.S. State Department and U.S. Intelligence saw Czechoslovakia as the master key to the balance of power in Europe and as a chessboard for the power-game between East and West. Washington believed that the political scene in Prague was the best available indicator of whether the United States would be able to coexist with Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union. In this book, Igor Lukes illuminates the end of World War II and the early stages of the Cold War in Prague, showing why the United States failed to prevent Czechoslovakia from being absorbed into the Soviet bloc. He draws on documents from archives in the United States and the Czech Republic, on the testimonies of high ranking officers who served in the U.S. Embassy from 1945 to 1948, and on unpublished manuscripts, diaries, and memoirs. Exploiting this wealth of evidence, Lukes paints a critical portrait of Ambassador Laurence Steinhardt. He shows that Steinhardt's groundless optimism caused Washington to ignore clear signs that democracy in Czechoslovakia was in trouble. Although U.S. Intelligence officials who served in Prague were committed to the mission of gathering information and protecting democracy, they were defeated by the Czech and Soviet clandestine services that proved to be more shrewd, innovative, and eager to win. Indeed, Lukes reveals that a key American officer may have been turned by the Russians. For all these reasons, when the Communists moved to impose their dictatorship, the U.S. Embassy and its CIA section were unprepared and powerless. The fall of Czechoslovakia in 1948 helped deepen Cold War tensions for decades to come. Vividly written and filled with colorful portraits of the key participants, On the Edge of the Cold War offers an authoritative account of this key foreign policy debacle.
This publication is devoted to the natural feature – the Black Sea and its littoral states. At the same time the Azov Sea is also considered here. This region is the focus of many geopolitical, economic, social and environmental issues that involve not only the countries coming out to the Black and Azov Seas, but other world countries, too. This publication contains over 1500 articles and terms providing descriptions of geographical and oceanographic features, cities, ports, transport routes, marine biological resources, international treaties, national and international programs, research institutions, historical and archaeological monuments, activities of prominent scientists, researchers, travelers, military commanders, etc. who had relation to the Black Sea. It includes a multi-century chronology of the events that became the outstanding milestones in the history of development of the Black Sea – Azov Sea region.
This fascinating biography of a Russian flying ace offers a rare glimpse into the role of the Soviet Air Force during the Korean War. Nikolai Vasil'evich Sutiagin was the top-scoring Soviet flying ace of the Korean War. He flew his MiG-15 in lethal dogfights against American Sabres and Australian Meteors, winning twenty-two victories. For his distinguished service, he was named a Hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet military’s highest honor. Now, with the opening of the Russian archives, this authoritative biography presents a full account of Sutiagin’s life and career. Beyond these official records, the authors draw from the reminiscences of Sutiagin's comrades and his wife's personal diary to present a nuanced and vividly detailed portrait of one of Russia’s greatest fighter pilots.
A diplomatic history of events leading up to the Munich crisis in 1938 in which Great Britain and France decided to appease Hitler's demands to annex the Sudentenland. The book aims to integrate a full understanding of the Czech role with wider events.
This book reflects on recent advances in the understanding of percolation systems to present a wide range of transport phenomena in inhomogeneous disordered systems. Further developments in the theory of macroscopically inhomogeneous media are also addressed. These developments include galvano-electric, thermoelectric, elastic properties, 1/f noise and higher current momenta, Anderson localization, and harmonic generation in composites in the vicinity of the percolation threshold. The book describes how one can find effective characteristics, such as conductivity, dielectric permittivity, magnetic permeability, with knowledge of the distribution of different components constituting an inhomogeneous medium. Considered are a wide range of recent studies dedicated to the elucidation of physical properties of macroscopically disordered systems. Aimed at researchers and advanced students, it contains a straightforward set of useful tools which will allow the reader to derive the basic physical properties of complicated systems together with their corresponding qualitative characteristics and functional dependencies.
This volume is dedicated to modeling in fluid mechanics and is divided into four chapters, which contain a significant number of useful exercises with solutions. The authors provide relatively complete references on relevant topics in the bibliography at the end of each chapter.
In addition to sunshine, the Sun emits about one trillion tons of ionized hydrogen per second into the interplanetary space, a phenomenon known as solar wind. This book systematizes the knowledge of the solar wind acceleration region, which is, figuratively speaking, the space weather “kitchen” similar to the Mexican gulf (where the Gulf Stream originates). The processing of unique scientific information about the solar wind at heliocentric distances up to three solar radii obtained from receiving antennas directed almost to the Sun (a challenging technical task itself) during telecommunication sessions with “Mars-2”, “Mars-4”, “Venera-10”, “Venera-15”, and “Venera-16” spacecraft, along with original approaches for modelling the solar wind acceleration region, underlie the factual basis for the book.
This volume reviews the historical roots and theoretical foundations of biological systematics in an approachable text. The author outlines the structure and main tasks of systematics. Conceptual history is characterized as a succession of scientific revolutions. The philosophical foundations of systematic research are briefly reviewed as well as the structure and content of taxonomic theories. Most important research programs in systematics are outlined. The book includes analysis of the principal problematic issues as "scientific puzzles" in systematics. This volume is intended for professional taxonomists, biologists of various specialties, students, as well as all those interested in the history and theory of biology and natural sciences. Key Features Considers the conceptual history of systematics as the framework of evolutionary epistemology Builds a hierarchically organized quasi-axiomatic system of taxonomic theory Contends that more reductionist taxonomic concepts are less objective Supports taxonomic pluralism by non-classic philosophy of science as a normal condition of systematics Documents that "taxonomic puzzles" result from conflict between monistic and pluralistic attitudes Related Titles de Queiroz, K. et al., eds. Phylonyms: A Companion to the PhyloCode (ISBN 978-1-1383-3293-5) Sigwart, J. D. What Species Mean: A User's Guide to the Units of Biodiversity (ISBN 978-1-4987-9937-9) Rieppel, O. Phylogenetic Systematics: Haeckel to Hennig (ISBN 978-1-4987-5488-0) Wilkins, J. S. Species: The Evolution of the Idea, 2nd ed. (ISBN 978-1-1380-5574-2)
This exhaustive work in three volumes with featuring cross-reference system provides a thorough overview of ultra-high temperature materials – from elements and chemical compounds to alloys and composites. Topics included are physical (crystallographic, thermodynamic, thermo-physical, electrical, optical, physico-mechanical, nuclear) and chemical (solid-state diffusion, interaction with chemical elements and compounds, interaction with gases, vapours and aqueous solutions) properties of the individual physico-chemical phases and multi-phase materials with melting (or sublimation) points over or about 2500 °C. The first volume focuses on carbon (graphite/graphene) and refractory metals (W, Re, Os, Ta, Mo, Nb, Ir). The second and third volumes are dedicated solely to refractory (ceramic) compounds (oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, silicides) and to the complex materials – refractory alloys, carbon and ceramic composites, respectively. It will be of interest to researchers, engineers, postgraduate, graduate and undergraduate students in various disciplines alike. The reader is provided with the full qualitative and quantitative assessment for the materials, which could be applied in various engineering devices and environmental conditions at ultra-high temperatures, on the basis of the latest updates in the field of physics, chemistry, materials science, nanotechnology and engineering.
Developing an approach to the question of existence, uniqueness and stability of solutions, this work presents a systematic elaboration of the theory of inverse problems for all principal types of partial differential equations. It covers up-to-date methods of linear and nonlinear analysis, the theory of differential equations in Banach spaces, app
2007 marked the 20th anniversary of the G.H.Brundtland Commission report that broke new ground by addressing the issue of sustainable development as a means of avoiding an ecological catastrophe. This led to a multitude of political declarations, documents and scientific articles while Agenda 21 – adopted in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro – has been accepted by the governments of more than 100 countries. Sadly, however, this has not prevented certain recent dangerous trends, nor have the wider public, journalists, business circles or politicians grasped the urgency of the problem. It is therefore important to make humanity understand its real place in the natural environment and the gravity of the ecological threat before us. The exclusive role of natural ecosystems is a key factor in the maintenance of the biospheric equilibrium. The current global crisis is largely caused by their dramatic decline by 43% in the past hundred years. Ignoring the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere could lead humanity to an ecological catastrophe. This book presents the ecological, demographic, economic and socio-psychological manifestations of the global crisis and outlines the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere.
The polyglot Igor Klekh is an extraordinarily erudite and accomplished Russian writer, journalist, and translator, whose formative years were spent in Western Ukraine, mostly in Ivano-Frankivsk and in the multi-cultural city of Lviv where he had access to the literature of East-Central Europe. He currently resides in Moscow. His complex prose style has been compared to that of Jorge Luis Borges and Bruno Schulz, whose novellas he was among the first to translate from Polish into Russian. He has authored seven books of prose, essays, translations, and literary criticism and has been a frequent contributor to the best Russian literary journals including Novyi mir, Znamya, and Druzhba narodov. His works have earned numerous prizes including the Alfred C. Toepfer Pushkin Prize (1993), the Yury Kazakov Prize (2000) for Best Short Story, and the October Magazine Prize (2000) for his book on the artist Sergei Sherstiuk. His works have been nominated for the Russian version of the Booker Prize twice (1995 and 2012). Adventures in the Slavic Kitchen: A Book of Essays with Recipes is a cultural study of the role food plays in the formation and expression of a nation’s character. It focuses primarily on the Russian and Ukrainian kitchens but discusses them in the context of international food practices. His prose works have been published in English translation under the title A Land the Size of Binoculars (2004) by Northwestern University Press.
The De Gruyter Studies in Mathematical Physics are devoted to the publication of monographs and high-level texts in mathematical physics. They cover topics and methods in fields of current interest, with an emphasis on didactical presentation. The series will enable readers to understand, apply and develop further, with sufficient rigor, mathematical methods to given problems in physics. For this reason, works with a few authors are preferred over edited volumes. The works in this series are aimed at advanced students and researchers in mathematical and theoretical physics. They can also serve as secondary reading for lectures and seminars at advanced levels.
This extraordinary memoir by a leading Russian scientist who worked for decades at the nerve center of the top-secret Biopreparat offers a chilling look into the biological weapons program of the former Soviet Union, vestiges of which still exist today in the Russian Federal Republic. Igor Domaradskij calls himself an inconvenient man: a dedicated scientist but a nonconformist who was often in conflict with government and military apparatchiks. In this book he reveals the deadly nature of the research he participated in for almost fifteen years.From 1950 till 1973, Domaradskij played an increasingly important role as a specialist in the area of epidemic bacterial infections. He was largely responsible for an effective system of plague control within the former USSR, which prevented mass outbreaks of rodent-born diseases. But after twenty-three years of making significant scientific contributions, his work was suddenly redirected.Under pressure from the Soviet military he helped design, create, and direct Biopreparat, the goal of which was to develop new types of biological weapons. From the inception of this highly secret venture Domaradskij openly expressed his skepticism and criticized it as a risky gamble and a serious error by the government. Eventually his critical attitude forced him out of the communist party, and finally cost him the opportunity of continuing his scientific work.Domaradskij goes into great detail about the secrecy, intrigue, and the bureaucratic maze that enveloped the Biopreparat scientists, making them feel like helpless pawns. What stands out in his account is the hasty, patchwork nature of the Soviet effort in bioweaponry. Far from being a smooth-running, terrifying monolith, this was an enterprise cobbled together out of the conflicts and contretemps of squabbling party bureaucrats, military know-nothings, and restless, ambitious scientists. In some ways the inefficiency and lack of accountability in this system make it all the more frightening as a worldwide threat. For today its dimensions are still not fully known, nor is it certain that any one group is completely in control of the proliferation of this lethal weaponry.Biowarrior is disturbing but necessary reading for anyone wishing to understand the nature and dimensions of the biological threat in an era of international terrorism.Igor V. Domaradskij (Moscow, Russia) is chief research fellow of the Moscow Gabrichevsky G. N. Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology; a member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Russia; and the author of fourteen books on microbiology, biochemistry, and immunology. Wendy Orent (Atlanta, GA) is a freelance writer and ethnologist.
In the fall of 1912, the Ottoman Empire was in turmoil. In addition to the Albanian and the Yemen rebellions, the Empire was at war with Italy over the Libyan territory. Worse yet, cholera was spreading throughout the country, leaving a decimated population in its wake. In its weakness, the Ottoman Empire was ripe to be attacked, and the Balkan countries did so. On October 8, 1912, Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire, beginning the first of the Balkan Wars. Embracing maturity and setting their differences aside, four nations joined together to form the Balkan League-Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, and Bulgaria. Despite the tremendous land victory celebrated by the Balkan League, disputes over dividing the won territory soon arose. Dissatisfied with its share of the Macedonia, Bulgaria attacked its former allies Serbia and Greece. On August 10, 1913, the Treaty of Bucharest ended the second conflict, but it did not bring the peace. In the First World War, which was initiated by Sarajevo assassination, Balkan again became theater of the war. The Balkan wars have been a popular topic for scholarly research since their resolution. Despite the attention this topic has received, however, the research is far from complete. In this study contributing to the documentation and understanding of this conflict, author Igor Despot has not only reviews the events of the wars, but also considers these events in light of pertinent cultural aspects, identifying the commonalities and differences that may have determined alliances or sparked conflict throughout Balkan history.
The monograph focuses on the European freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, which is an endangered bivalve species. Most of its populations in the Russian section of the Baltic Sea basin had never been studied, although they were known in the past to the pearl fishers. “Rediscovery” included search for the previously unknown populations, revealing the facts of population extinctions, analysis of negative impacts, elaboration of conservation measures, and revealing of regularities in distribution. Patterns of land use and river management were analyzed. The procedure of “rediscovery” was applied for other animal species of Northwest Russia, which are threatened on a global scale – thick-shelled mussel, Unio crassus; curlew Numenius arquata; black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa; Northern Lapwing, Vanellus vanellus; European mink, Mustela lutreola; pond bat, Myotis dasycneme; Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser sturio; and broad-clawed crayfish, Astacus astacus. The methods and principles of conservation studies were discussed. The obtained data were analyzed with respect to current global change of biosphere. The book will appeal to specialists dealing with conservation studies and activities such as red lists, river protection, and conservation of endangered species. Moreover, a part of the book represents an interest for biogerontology as it presents discredit of the popular concept on “negligible senescence.” The data on distribution of some animals in Russia will be interesting in terms of zoology and biogeography, as they are not yet sufficiently represented in the international editions. The book can be used as supplemental reading for courses in biological invasions, ecology and conservation, and biodiversity. The work also contains chapters on global processes (deforestation, desertification, river degradation) and can therefore also be used for general courses in environmental sciences.
Historically, water has been treated as an inexhaustible resource. However, with the growth of population and development of industry and agriculture, freshwater demand has increased drastically, and its shortage felt in roughly 60% of the Earth. As early as 1931, renowned Russian scholar A.P. Karpansky wrote: "Water is not only a mineral resource, not only a means for developing agriculture. Water is a real culture bearer, it is a living blood, that creates life where there was none". Groundwater and the Environment: Remediation Applications and the Global Community covers one of the most important ecological problems - the impact on the environment of intensive groundwater pumping out. Drawing on more than a quarter century of study, Zektser analyses and makes conclusions about groundwater exploitation throughout the world. He focuses on the close connection of groundwater to the environment - its affect on surface water streams, reservoirs, seas, landscapes, and vegetation. The author demonstrates the importance of groundwater to the potable water supply, and its interaction with the environment. He stresses the significance of groundwater as a mineral resource. He provides techniques for assessing and mapping natural groundwater resources and develops these principles for studying water and hydrochemicals in coastal zones. In the last twenty years, the global awareness of groundwater as one of the most important natural resources has grown. Any changes in the groundwater causes changes in the environment. Groundwater and the Environment: Remediation Applications and the Global Community increases your ability to predict the possible changes to the environment and to follow the principle: "When using - protect, when protecting - use!
The true story of the 1986 near-disaster that ocurred when an aging Soviet ballistic missile sub suffered a crippling accident, and came within moments of a nuclear meltdown off the American coast.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.