Two Burial Traditions of the Crusade Period on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ladoga Karelia

The Ladoga Archaeological Expedition of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera; MAE) RAS, St Petersburg, jointly with the University of Turku (Finland), has recently excavated several funerary sites on the Karelian Isthmus and in the Ladoga Karelia region. The materials yielded by these investigations enable the reconsideration of information from previous excavations. Among the recent exceptional finds are the burials on the slopes of the Sänkinmäki and Pihlajamäki hills in the northern extremity of the island of Kilpolansaari. The material from these sites, as well as radiocarbon dating, demonstrates that in the 13th century, a part of the medieval Karelian population, at least in the Ladoga Karelia region, continued to practise archaic rites that includedcremations on the ground surface

Differentiated Integration: Project Competition and Contradictions of the EU Integration Process

Introduction. In 2017 the European Commission proposed five scenarios for the future of the EU, one of which was ‘those who want to do more do more’. However, it was not specific enough and ignored the variability of this way of integration. Methods and materials. Ignoring the characteristics of various types of differentiated integration is a common problem in scientific research, which leads to uncertainty and incorrect conclusions. This is largely due to the fact that researchers miss the analysis of interests and the negotiation process, focusing more on finding a common institutional design for all participants of integration. The intergovernmentalism that sees differentiated integration as a special institutional design that helps overcome the impasse in negotiations caused by the growing heterogeneity of member states is lacking. This approach has the potential for research and planning of integration processes in other regions, especially in the Post-Soviet space. Analysis. The article shows that differentiated integration has a long tradition in the EU, but that has little relation to the projects of the European future discussed in recent years (often with the same name). We have focused on the differences in the positions of European governments and groups of countries, trying to explain their motives and to answer the question of whether an intergovernmental approach is justified. The greatest attention is paid to French-German discussions, analysis of the UK’s role prior to EU secession, and the special stand of Scandinavian and Central-Eastern European countries. Results. The author concludes that the discussions on differentiated integration are not so much a search for unity in diversity, but are aimed at achieving ambitions, redistributing resources and fight against dirigisme. However, EU reform challenges integration leaders to choose between unprecedented concessions and the need to ignore the positions of many countries. In addition to EU heterogeneity, it also helps to exclude alternatives to differentiation in the future. Since the change of leadership in 2019, the EU has entered a new stage in its development, but there is nothing to suggest that its members are able to find common approaches. For the first time it is not possible to formulate a common compromise out of a wide variety of future options, and an attempt to avoid reform could aggravate the crisis of the integration process

ANTI-CRISIS STRATEGY OF THE TRANSPORT ORGANIZATION

The article considers the role of the anti-crisis strategy in the management system of the transport organization. The essence, the goals of the task of anti-crisis management are discussed. Methodological approaches to formation of the model of anti-crisis management of transport enterprises as part of their financial and production activities are proposed. The specifics of the management of the transport organization in conditions of uncertainty and risk are identified, and the main reasons for the insolvency of transport companies are considered. The factors influencing the formation of the anti-crisis strategy are traced, the importance of evaluating the long-term prospects of the enterprise development, analyzing its capabilities, as well as the influence of external factors, is emphasized. The stages of improving the management system of the transport organization are outlined

Влияние параметров циклического нагружения на усталостные характеристики штамповой стали

Бельский С. Е., Блохин А. В., Адель Абдель Бассет Рашид. Влияние параметров циклического нагружения на усталостные характеристики штамповой сталиStudying the fatigue characteristics of structural materials is a time-consuming process. The possibility of using high loading frequencies on the example of 5CrNiMn steel is presented in this paper. The results of studies of structurally sensitive characteristics are microhardness, electrical resistance and dislocation density. It is established that the nature of their change does not change with increasing loading frequency. Based on the obtained results the common nature of the accumulation of fatigue damage is assumed

Fuzzy Multi-criteria Selection of Alternatives by Quasi-best Case as the Basis for Choosing Robotic Machine-Assembling Technologies

The process of choosing the robotic machine - assembling technologies (RMAT) is implemented as the fuzzy multi - criteria selection of alternatives by the suggested previousely method of quasi - best case. The basic concept feature of the given method is the developed specific correlations which are based on the corresponding comparisons to better alternative Р◦nd to the most important criterion. All the mentioned above determines the practical and scientific value of this paper. The results of strict ranking of the elements of local criteria discrete set (LCDS) are input dР◦ta. It is performed by the method of expert survey and at the same time demonstrates RMAT phenomenon. The idea of selections the process of ordering constituents of initially unordered LCDS elements which finally form ordered set. The selection is performed within the set of these elements. The obtained ordering of RMAT phenomenon as a result of selection is recommended to be analyzed in the process of choosing. The base of solving the task of RMAT selection is its formalized description and on its base the generalized content formalisms of quasi - best case method are determined. The performance of the presented the theoretical issues is demonstrated step - by - step with the real example of the automated RMAT selection

Human mitochondrial DNA lineages in Iron-Age Fennoscandia suggest incipient admixture and eastern introduction of farming-related maternal ancestry

Human ancient DNA studies have revealed high mobility in Europe's past, and have helped to decode the human history on the Eurasian continent. Northeastern Europe, especially north of the Baltic Sea, however, remains less well understood largely due to the lack of preserved human remains. Finland, with a divergent population history from most of Europe, offers a unique perspective to hunter-gatherer way of life, but thus far genetic information on prehistoric human groups in Finland is nearly absent. Here we report 103 complete ancient mitochondrial genomes from human remains dated to AD 300-1800, and explore mtDNA diversity associated with hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers. The results indicate largely unadmixed mtDNA pools of differing ancestries from Iron-Age on, suggesting a rather late genetic shift from hunter-gatherers towards farmers in North-East Europe. Furthermore, the data suggest eastern introduction of farmer-related haplogroups into Finland, contradicting contemporary genetic patterns in Finns.Peer reviewe