678 research outputs found

    A semiotic analysis of the short stories of Leonid Andreyev, 1900-1909

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    This thesis applies the techniques of semiotic analysis to a selection of short stories by Leonid Andreyev in an attempt to offer one answer to the problems of categorising Andreyev's unique art and placing it within a literary-evolutionary perspective. The semiotic method was chosen because of its ability both to assimilate literary texts to the supra-individual processes with which it works, and at the same time to delineate an author's particular contribution to these processes. Drawing on a range of literary theory from early Russian Formalism onwards, the study proceeds from one level to another according to a principle of "degree of abstraction", so that each level constitutes firstly an independent account of Andreyev's texts in itself, and secondly one stage in an overall analysis. The analysis at each level pinpoints, in its own terms, a series of semiotic tensions or clashes as being at the heart of Andreyev's literary system. Conflict within his stories between the principles of poetry and prose, metaphor and metonymy, 'discourse' and 'story' and between codes of allegory and codes of reference are among the major tensions highlighted. These tensions are in turn used to account for the fantastic element in Andreyev's stories (tension and ambiguity being the key features of Fantastic literature as defined by many literary theoreticians).The unique, Andreyevan version of the Fantastic is viewed as an index of Andreyev's position in literary evolution at a point of transition between an older, authoritative, transitive mode of narration and a more recent, non-authoritative mode which has come to dominate much twentieth-century literature. The final reference-point for all these tensions is demonstrated to be a shift in modern culture as a whole towards a more impersonal. Mythic thought-system, a shift at the centre of which the art of Leonid Andreyev can be convincingly placed. The material drawn upon includes, in addition to the corpus of Andreyev stories specified, a wide range of works by Andreyev's contemporaries and also the hitherto unexploited draft-manuscripts to a number of Andreyev stories held in the Hoover Institution, U.S.A.A Glossary of the most commonly used theoretical terms is provided at the end of the study

    The stick insect, Obrimus asperrimus (Phasmida, Bacillidae) walking on different surfaces

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    Frantsevich L, Cruse H. The stick insect, Obrimus asperrimus (Phasmida, Bacillidae) walking on different surfaces. Journal of Insect Physiology. 1997;43(5):447-455.Unrestrained adult stick insects (Obrimus asperrimus) walked below a tread wheel 4 or 30 mm wide in the upside-down position or above a 'bridge' 30 or 60 cm wide in the upright position, They were recorded on video and the positions of reference points on the legs and on the body were measured on still frames, Step parameters such as step amplitude, step duration, swing duration, body height and ground width are given for broad and narrow footing as well as for leg trajectories and the course of leg joint angles, Joint angles were calculated directly between the leg segment vectors, Walking with a narrow footing, the stick insect used the same slow metachronal gait as on a broad footing, Adjustment to the narrow footing was accomplished by narrowing the ground base, raising the body distance, depressing the femora (by 40-45 degrees) and flexing the tibiae (20-25 degrees in the front and middle legs), The upper turning-point of the swing movement seems to be determined by a constant amplitude of the vertical movement component rather than a given position in a body-fixed coordinate system, Walking on a horizontal rod of circular cross-section, the insects preferred to walk upside down below the rod for small diameters, but preferred to walk upright above the rod if its diameter was great enough. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd

    Leg coordination during turning on an extremely narrow substrate in a bug, Mesocerus marginatus (Heteroptera, Coreidae)

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    Frantsevich LI, Cruse H. Leg coordination during turning on an extremely narrow substrate in a bug, Mesocerus marginatus (Heteroptera, Coreidae). Journal of Insect Physiology. 2005;51(10):1092-1104.The turning movement of a bug, Mesocerus marginatus, is observed when it walks upside-down below a horizontal beam and, at the end of the beam, performs a sharp turn by 180 degrees. The turn at the end of the beam is accomplished in three to five steps, without strong temporal coordination among legs. During the stance, leg endpoints (tarsi) run through rounded trajectories, rotating to the same side in all legs. During certain phases of the turn, a leg is strongly depressed and the tarsus crosses the midline. Swing movements rotate to the same side as do leg endpoints in stance, in strong contrast to the typical swing movements found in turns or straight walk on a flat surface. Terminal location is found after the search through a trajectory that first moves away from the body and then loops back to find substrate. When a leg during stance has crossed the midline, in the following swing movement the leg may move even stronger on the contralateral side, i.e. is stronger depressed, in contrast to swing movements in normal walking, where the leg is elevated. These results suggest that the animals apply a different control strategy compared to walking and turning on a flat surface. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserve

    LEONID ANDREYEV’S OEUVRE THROUGH BRUSOVIAN LENS

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    The paper deals with V. Brusov’s reviews of the works by Leonid Andreyev in the magazine «Vesy» (The Balance). The author mentions some peculiarities of L. Andreev’s stories positively reviewed by V. Brusov, as well as his remarks concerning the writer’s experiences in drama

    Reflecting on Fiction: Leonid Leonov

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    Abstract This chapter examines the metafictional works of Soviet author Leonid Leonov. The River Sot, Leonov's third novel, was one of the earliest Soviet works in the theme of industrialization and it was based on the author's first-hand experience of Soviet construction projects. This novel, together with Leonov's other work The Thief, provided the direction that Soviet literature should take. These novels were both influenced by the October Revolution.</jats:p

    The Content and Implementation of Electronic Assist Device of Locomotive Drivers

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    Paberivaba tehnoloogia peab saabuma iga ettevõttesse ja iga ettevõtlus valib ise kui suures mahus seda kasutada. Samas on fakt, et arvuti oskab arvutada ja arvestada kiiremini kui inimene ning arvuti põhine infosüsteem on kasulik arendus. Pabervaba arendusega ettevõtte on keskkonnasõbralik. Tahvelarvuti kasutamisel vedurijuhi käsiraamatuna ja dokumentide edastamise seadmena: likvideerime suure koguse dokumentatsiooni ja juhendeid paberkandjal ning paigutame neid ühte väiksesse tahvelarvutisse; dokumendid ja juhendid on parem leitavad arvutipõhisel süsteemis kui paberikandjal; juhendid ja korrad on vahetatavad ühe liigutusega arvuti ekraanil; kogu dokumentide ja juhendite olemasolu vedurijuhi käsiraamatus ja nende kehtivust saab jälgida vaid üks töötaja. vedurimeeskonna töö optimeerimine dokumentatsiooni täitmisel ja nendele dokumentatsiooni edastamisel; informatsiooni liikumine muutub operatiivsemaks; digitaalse dokumentatsiooni üle on parem ülevaade ja kontroll. Paigutades infosüsteemi kõik juhendid, saame paberikulu ja printerite kasutamist vähendada. Arvestades juhendite, dokumentide ja käskkirjade mahuga, paberi ja printeri tööga seotud kulud vähenevad kordades. Tahvelarvuti kasutamisel elektroonilise liinilehena saame: vedurimeeskonna töö lihtsustamine liinilehe täitmisel; inimressurssi optimeerimine; veduri liikumise ja vedurimeeskonna tööaja informatsioon muutub operatiivsemaks. Liinilehe täitmise ja peale seda üleandmist infosüsteemi sisestamise vajadus praktiliselt kaob. Peale liinilehe loomise infosüsteemi poolt peab töötaja seda kontrollima ja kinnitama selle õigsust. Töö kirjutamis hetkel liinilehe andmist näevad infosüsteemi kasutajad alles peale selle sisestamist, kuid elektrooniliseks muutmiseks saab seda näha kohe täitumisel. Tahvelarvuti kasutamisel vedurijuhtimise abistavana infosüsteemina: veduri juhtimine muutub lihtsamaks; veduri juhtimine muutub kontrollitavaks; noorte vedurijuhtide hea koolitus; kütuse kulu optimeerimine. Vedurijuhile rongi käitamiseks annab nõu arvuti eelnevalt parimate tulemuste põhjal loodud maketi alusel. Vedurijuht, täites neid juhiseid, saab jälgida nende efektiivsust ja õigsust. Vedurijuhi poolseid soovitusi täitmise kohta saab hoida kontrolli all. Veduri juhtimise soovitustega infosüsteem on hea noorte vedurijuhtide koolitaja. Tavaliselt iga uue süsteemi elluviimine ja iga uuenduse töösse juurutamisel toob kaasa kulu, kuid antud töö tulemusena saab juurutada infosüsteeme lõpptulemusena saades sellest tulu. Töö optimeerimine ja lihtsustamine toob kaasa töötajate suurema tähelepanu teistesse tööülesannetesse. Selle juures riskid ei ole suured ja osaliselt saab neid maandada miinimumini.The author of this thesis presents the research probleem from a large amount of instructions, which are given to the locomotive driver for inspection and also from documentation which the locomotive driver needs to fill out during his work shift. At the moment of writing this thesis, all of the documentation is made by hand or printed on paper. In order to achieve a more environmentally friendly work technology aiming to become paperless, the author develops electronic mock-ups for the operation of tablets and IT-systems. In addition, the author describes the method of transmitting the documentation to locomotive driver without delays and getting prompt feedback. At the same time, with the help of an IT-system, the author develops a possibility to create an application which assists the locomotive driver at his duties. The development includes the integration of existing resources and existing Technologies. As a result of this thesis, a tablet will be installed on a locomotive to which will be gathered different information systems: documentation for the locomotive driver – the driver has access to all necessary documents while working on the locomotive; documentation to be processed by the locomotive driver – an information exchange system created with a server and personal e-mail account to fill necessary documents and/or to receive documents and verify confirmations about receiving them. For formation of electronical work sheet – for making more interactive and operational the existing GPS and information system about train and locomotive data To assist train driving – an information system based on previous train service results to reduce fuel consuption and to control locomotive operations. The thesis examines the potential risks in operating the information system and the healing of these risks. Risks can occur in two varieties, one of which is a technical failure and, secondly, a human factor. Technical failures can be prevented by additional recording method, which can later be found and supplemented in the system. The risk from the human factor is language skills and attention. These risks can be prevented by the translation and verification method

    Animal Radioecology in the Exclusion Zone Since the Chernobyl Catastrophe

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    We review 20 year long investigations by the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology on radioecological and ecological consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe for wild animals in the Exclusion Zone (EZ) around the nuclear plant. Using previous observations on bird migrations through Ukraine, we assessed the 137 Cs and 90 Sr carry-out with migrants from the EZ. In addition, we selected animal species as standard indicators of the state of the environment to map: 1) contamination of vertebrates with 137 Cs in the EZ and 2) beta-activity of mollusc shells indicating 90 Sr, in the whole Dnieper drainage area, in the Kiev Administrative Region, and in the EZ. We revealed regular seasonal and long-term trends, relative radionuclide accumulation by different species, transfer and accumulation factors, and used these measurements to diminish the enormous variation and complexity of the data. Secondary ecological changes in forest, devastated by direct irradiation, were caused by the crash of trophic chains and an outbreak of insect pests on dead or sick trees. Ninety-nine percent of the EZ area was not affected directly by irradiation. Ecological changes in this area have been caused by evacuation of the public, cessation of agriculture and forest management, and decontamination on a large scale. After initial changes, animal density and distribution have been stabilized at a limit restricted by natural resources, predators and poachers. A herd of Przewalski horses was successfully introduced into the EZ years ago. We renewed the protected state of nature reserved sites, which existed before, and proposed to expand the area of nature reservation

    Kondratieff Waves, Technological Modes, and the Theory of Production Revolutions

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    In the present article Kondratieff waves theory is considered in comparison with the theory of production revolutions which analyzes the regularities of the major technological breakthroughs in history. Both theories analyze the processes of cyclic nature related to the innovative technological development of the World-System. The mutual comparison of both theories allows the author to make important clarifications in understanding of the long-wave dynamics as a whole, as well as to give relevant explanations of the peculiarities of the unfolding of each of the five waves and their phases, to make forecasts about the sixth wave and the development of technologies of the sixth technological mode. The special attention is paid to the analysis of aspects and limitations of the theory of technological modes, as it is used by many researchers to explain the causes of the long-wave dynamics
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