On the threshold of the Great Terror: Deacon of the Old Believers Ivan Afanasievich Vlasov and the case of the Moscow Neocircular Old Believers clergy of 1937

The article examines the mechanism of political repression against believers by the example of the case of the Moscow neocircular Old Believer clergy. The central figure of the article is the deacon of the Old Believers prayer Ivan Afanasievich Vlasov as a characteristic type of clergyman of the 1930s, a peasant by origin, who was arrested during collectivization, but did not change his faith. The investigative case under consideration is a sample ofthetrial ofthemost isolated part of Christians – Old Believers, who attractedthe close attention ofthe NKVD bodies by their isolation andthe steadfastness in faith characteristic of the Old Believers. The reason forthe arrest wasthetestimony of a previously arrested Old Believer priest, which coincided in time with the death of one of the neocircular hierarchs – Bishop Gennady (Lakomkin). As a result, seven non-Orthodox Old Believers were repressed, among whom were clergymen, active members of the community and one bishop. At the beginning of July 1937, all of them were sentenced to different types and terms of punishment, the most severe of which was five years of correctional labor camps. The article claims that if the case against the Old Believers-neokruzhniki dragged on for three weeks, and was considered after the entry into force of the NKVD order “On the operation to repress former kulaks, criminals and other anti-Soviet elements” of July 30, 1937,”which marked the beginning of the period of the Great Terror, the sentences would have become heavier

Physical Processes and Plasma Parameters in a Radio-Frequency Hybrid Plasma System for Thin-Film Production with Ion Assistance

The results of the study of the plasma reactor on the combined magnetron discharge and radio-frequency (RF) inductive discharge located in the external magnetic field are presented. Magnetron discharge provides the generation of atoms and ions of the target materials, while the flow of accelerated ions used for the ion assistance is provided by the RF inductive discharge located in an external magnetic field. Approaching the region of resonant absorption of RF power by optimizing the magnitude and configuration of the external magnetic field makes it possible to obtain a uniform within 10% radial distribution of the ion current across the diameter of 150 mm. When the RF power supply power is 1000 W, the ion current density on the substrate can be adjusted in the range of 0.1–3 mA/cm2. The use of ion assisting results in a fundamental change in the structure and properties of functional coatings, deposited using a magnetron

(Mechano)synthesis of azomethine- and terpyridine-linked diketopyrrolopyrrole-based polymers

Three efficient synthetic approaches towards new azomethine- and terpyridine-containing 2,5-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (diketopyrrolopyrrole, DPP) based polymers, such as P1 and P2, are reported. The first approach involves the Pd-catalyzed synthesis via two- or three-component Suzuki or Stille cross-coupling reaction in solution. The second approach involves Pd-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling reaction under ball-milling conditions. And, finally, the third approach involves Pd-free condensation reaction under ball-milling conditions. The newly obtained polymers exhibited absorbance around 700 nm and emission around 900 nm, and, thus, these polymers are considered to be NIR-fluorophores

'Limosilactobacillus fermentum' Strain 3872 : antibacterial and immunoregulatory properties and synergy with prebiotics against socially significant antibiotic-resistant infections of animals and humans

Limosilactobacillus fermentum strain 3872 (LF3872) was originally isolated from the breast milk of a healthy woman during lactation and the breastfeeding of a child. The high-quality genome sequencing of LF3872 was performed, and a gene encoding a unique bacteriocin was discovered. It was established that the bacteriocin produced by LF3872 (BLF3872) belongs to the family of cell-wall-degrading proteins that cause cell lysis. The antibacterial properties of LF3872 were studied using test cultures of antibiotic-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Gram-positive pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus strain 8325-4 and S. aureus strain IIE CI-SA 1246) were highly sensitive to the bacteriolytic action of LF3872. Gram-negative pathogens (Escherichia coli, Salmonella strains, and Campylobacter jejuni strains) were more resistant to the bacteriolytic action of LF3872 compared to Gram-positive pathogens. LF3872 is a strong co-aggregator of Gram-negative pathogens. The cell-free culture supernatant of LF3872 (CSLF3872) induced cell damage in the Gram-positive and Gram-negative test cultures and ATP leakage. In the in vitro experiments, it was found that LF3872 and Actigen prebiotic (Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY, USA) exhibited synergistic anti-adhesive activity against Gram-negative pathogens. LF3872 has immunoregulatory properties: it inhibited the lipopolysaccharide-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α in a monolayer of Caco-2 cells; inhibited the production of IL-12 and stimulated the production of IL-10 in immature human dendritic cells; and stimulated the production of TGF-β, IFN-γ, and IgA in the immunocompetent cells of intestinal Peyer’s patches (PPs) in mice. These results indicate the possibility of creating a synbiotic based on LF3872 and a prebiotic derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall components. Such innovative drugs and biologically active additives are necessary for the implementation of a strategy to reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of socially significant animal and human infections

S-layer protein 2 of 'Lactobacillus crispatus' 2029, its structural and immunomodulatory characteristics and roles in protective potential of the whole bacteria against foodborne pathogens

We have previously demonstrated that human vaginal Lactobacillus crispatus 2029 (LC2029) strain is highly adhesive to cervicovaginal epithelial cells, exhibits antagonistic activity against genitourinary pathogens and expresses surface-layer protein (Slp). The aims of the present study were elucidation of Slp structural and immunomodulatory characteristics and its roles in protective properties of the whole vaginal LC2029 bacteria against foodborne pathogens. Enteric Caco-2 and colon HT-29 cell lines were used as the in vitro models of the human intestinal epithelial layer. LC2029 strain has two homologous surface-layer (S-layer) genes, slp1 and slp2. Whilst we found no evidence for the expression of slp1 under the growth conditions used, a very high level of expression of the slp2 gene was detected. C-terminal part of the amino sequence of Slp2 protein was found to be highly similar to that of the conserved C-terminal region of SlpA protein of L. crispatus Zj001 isolated from pig intestines and CbsA protein of L. crispatus JCM5810 isolated from chicken intestines, and was substantially variable at the N-terminal and middle regions. The amino acid sequence identity between SlpA and CbsA was as high as 84%, whilst the identity levels of these sequences with that of Slp2 were only 49% and 50% (respectively). LC2029 strain was found to be both acid and bile tolerant. Survival in simulated gastric and intestinal juices of LC2029 cells unable to produce Slp2 was reduced by 2-3 logs. Vaginal L. crispatus 1385 (LC1385) strain not expressing Slp was also very sensitive to gastric and intestinal stresses. Slp2 was found to be non-covalently bound to the surface of the bacterium, acting as an adhesin and facilitating interaction of LC2029 lactobacilli with the host immature or fully differentiated Caco-2 cells, as well as HT-29 cells. No toxicity to or damage of Caco-2 or HT-29 epithelial cells were detected after 24 h of colonization by LC2029 lactobacilli. Both Slp2 protein and LC2029 cells induced NF-kB activation in Caco-2 and HT-29 cells, but did not induce expression of innate immunity mediators Il-8, Il-1β, and TNF-α. Slp2 and LC2029 inhibited Il-8 production in Caco-2 and HT-29 cells induced by MALP-2 and increased production of anti-inflammatory cytokine Il-6. Slp2 inhibited production of CXCL1 and RANTES by Caco-2 cells during differentiation and maturation process within 15 days. Culturing Caco-2 and HT-29 cells in the presence of Slp2 increased adhesion of bifidobacteria BLI-2780 to these enterocytes. Upon binding to Caco-2 and HT-29 cells, Slp2 protein and LC2029 lactobacilli were recognized by toll-like receptors (TLR) 2/6. It was shown that LC2029 strain is a strong co-aggregator of foodborne pathogens Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enteritidis, and Escherichia coli O157:H used in this study. The Slp2 was responsible for the ability of LC2029 to co-aggregate these enteropathogens. Slp2 and intact LC2029 lactobacilli inhibited foodborne pathogen-induced activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 as apoptotic biomarkers in Caco-2 and HT-29 cells. In addition, Slp2 and Slp2-positive LC2029 strain reduced adhesion of tested pathogenic bacteria to Caco-2 and HT-29 cells. Slp2-positive LC2029 strain but not Slp2 alone provided bactericidal effect on foodborne pathogens. These results suggest a range of mechanisms involved in inhibition of growth, viability, and cell adhesion properties of pathogenic Proteobacteria by the Slp2 producing LC2029, which may be useful in treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in newborns and foodborne infectious diseases in children and adults, increasing the colonization resistance and maintaining the intestinal homeostasis

Observation cases of 1959 on religious buildings as a repressive measure against church parishes

The article is devoted to the events connected with the next aggravation of church-state relations in the late 1950s. The author focuses on the organization of work on the inventory of property of church parishes, which was carried out in 1959. The Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church. All parishes operating in the post-war period were subject to revision. In order to implement this project, the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church developed standard forms with questions for distribution through its commissioners for parishes of all regions, territories and autonomous republics of the USSR. The questionnaires were based on the form of pre-revolutionary clear sheets. The forms filled out by the staff of the parishes were the so-called "Observation cases for religious buildings (premises) belonging to religious associations (communities)." Almost all of these documents have been preserved in the archives. The observational cases on the temples of the Moscow region were postponed in the Central State Archive of the Moscow Region (TSGAMO) in the fund 7383 (Authorized by the Council for Religious Affairs under the USSR Council of Ministers for the Moscow Region). The author comes to the conclusion that the inventory of parish property in the 1950s was of a repressive nature, due to the fact that the purpose of the whole event was to increase economic pressure on the Church as a whole and on the basic element of the church structure - the parish. In addition, the documents that compiled the Observation Files show that simultaneously with the information about the material values owned by religious associations, the authorities once again attempted to monitor all church activities at the parish level – to find out the extent of the religiosity of the population and the degree of its involvement in church life. The article is based on archival materials, a number of which are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time

Reports of the Authorized Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow and the Moscow Region as a Source of Information about Parish Life in the Moscow Diocese in the 1944–1946

The article analyzes information about the parish life of Moscow and the Moscow region churches in the 1944–1946 contained in the reports of the Commissioner for Moscow and the Moscow region of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church made by A.A. Trushin according to the funds of the&#x0D; Central State Archive of the Moscow region. The paper provides data on the number of churches operating in the first post-war years, as well as on how many churches closed in the 1920s and 1930s were used for economic and cultural&#x0D; needs, which, according to the author, in most cases, contributed to their preservation until the period of mass transfer to the Church. To analyze the changes in the manifestations of popular religiosity in the mid-1940s, information on the attendance of Easter services is taken as a basis,&#x0D; participation in which is considered as an open manifestation by believers of their attitude to the Church. These materials record a steady increase in the number of parishioners during the period under review, not only in Moscow, but also in cit-&#x0D; ies near Moscow and rural parishes of remote areas – Taldomsky, Lukhovitsky, etc. The main reasons for the rise of popular religiosity, according to the author,&#x0D; were the victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the expectations of changes in anti-church policy on the part of the state in the USSR that appeared after the&#x0D; meeting of I.V. Stalin with the metropolitans of the Russian Orthodox Church in September 1943. The great interest in the array of documents under consideration&#x0D; is represented by the data on the percentage of young people in the total number of believers and military personnel in the temples</jats:p

Features of sentencing by Moscow revolutionary tribunal for the clergy and believers in 1918–1920

The article analyzes the cases of the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal, directed against the clergy and believers, deposited in the funds of the Central State Archive of the Moscow region. Along with high-profile processes, such as the "Case of the Council of United Parishes" ("The case of A.D. Samarin, N.D. Kuznetsov") 1919-1920, the Moscow trials ("The 1st and 2nd trials of churchmen") of 1922, which resulted from a campaign to seize church values, the author examines lesser-known cases accusing rural clergy of resisting the Decree on the separation of Church and state and counter-revolutionary activities. Analyzing the sentences of the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal handed down in the period of 1918-1920s. with regard to the clergy and clergy, as well as laypeople, the author comes to the conclusion that the main purpose of the tribunal was a policy of intimidation of the clergy and believers, demonstration of the omnipotence of the new government and the permissiveness of its punitive bodies. The general trend in the work of the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal was the practice of issuing initial demonstratively harsh sentences, which were immediately replaced by lighter, and sometimes even conditional, sentences at the same meeting of the tribunal. In some cases, the mitigation of sentences took place in several stages, as a result, even those initially sentenced to death were released within 2-3 years after arrest. The article notes that most of the clergy tried by the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal no longer left the field of view of the organs of the Cheka-OGPU-NKVD and were subsequently arrested, many more than once. For them, the fact of conviction and even acquittal by the revolutionary tribunal became a kind of marker that marked the future victims of the repressive system.</jats:p