On the Rule of Law in the Context of Russian Foreign Policy

The article is an attempt to analyze the Russian school of law features and history of development over the last century, characterized by the priority of the positivist theory of law over the natural law approach. In particular, the author examines the differences in interpretation of such concepts as ‘rule of law,’ ‘rule by law’ and ‘Law-Bound State’ by Russian and foreign lawyers and concludes that these concepts are mixed and misunderstood. Based on the differences of interpretation, the author concludes that there is a significant difference in mentality not only between Russian and foreign lawyers, but also between lawyers in Russia: law enforcers on the one hand and human rights activists, advocates and some independent scientists on the other and, consequently, there are specific criteria for the specialist selection in competent state bodies. As an example of the differences of interpretation, the author analyzes in detail the decision of the Russian Federation Constitutional Court of March 19, 2014, on the constitutionality of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea into the Russian Federation and the establishment of new subjects within the latter

Russian-Egyptian relations in terms of intercivilizational interaction

The article is devoted to the development of Russian-Egyptian relations in terms of intercivilizational dialogue; there are analyzed the dynamics of their development in various historical epochs as well as the factors that have had decisive influence on the nature of the bilateral interaction. The globalization processes in which the modern world lives are shaking all the models of national and cultural identity that have developed over many centuries. These processes jeopardize the existence of the peoples, nations and cultures in their present form. In these conditions the interethnic cultural dialogue acquires special significance. This article is devoted to the consideration of a similar dialogue between Russian and Egyptian cultures in which political, economic, cultural, scientific and spiritual ties played and continue to play a special role. The ideas of Leo Tolstoy, M. Gorky and other Russian writers got in Egypt a special popularity and had a significant impact on progressive minds of the Egyptian intelligentsia as well as on the Egyptian literature. Although Arab, in particular Egyptian historians and public figures for a long time considered Russia as part of the West, after the October revolution of 1917 in Russia the Soviet state began to be perceived as a force that opposes the materialistic West. From the fifties of the 20th century, the military-technical and economic cooperation with the USSR, subsequently with Russia is of great importance for Egypt. At the same time, the article analyzes the influence of Egyptian culture and art on the spiritual and intellectual life of Russia

Assessment of ecological state for the north-eastern shelf of Sakhalin Island: hydrochemical analysis and bioassay

Results of ecological monitoring in the coastal waters at north-eastern Sakhalin are presented. Spatial patterns of water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen content, and concentrations of inorganic phosphate and silicon are described, geostrophic currents are calculated. Abnormalities of early embryogenesis are revealed for the sand dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis in the water sampled both at the coast and in the oil-producing areas but not in the areas distanced from the oil wells. Possible influence of natural environments and anthropogenic factors on marine biota in the area of monitoring is discussed: the abnormalities at the coast are possibly caused by low salinity, but those ones in the oil-producing areas have no any natural reasons, so far as salinity, temperature and nutrients concentration in these areas are the same as in the open-waters with normal results of the bioassay. Thus, anthropogenic impact on marine biota is detected for the areas of continued oil and gas production on the northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island

Economic evaluation of biological resources and ecosystem services for the Okhotsk Sea

The total cost of commercial stocks of biological resources in the Okhotsk Sea is evaluated as US$23.5 · 109/year on the data on total allowable catch for the year 2014, taking into account the world prices for seafood. The potential cost of all known bioresources in the Sea, including pelagic and benthic fish and invertebrates (for a case of their total utilization), is determined as US$ 58.5 · 109/year. The total value of ecosystem services provided by the Okhotsk Sea is estimated as US$ 294.4 · 109/year, believing that their cost per unit area in the Okhotsk Sea is equal to mean value of ecosystem services per unit area in certain areas of the World Ocean with a known cost - this value for non-market ecosystem services exceeds the cost of traditionally used biological resources. Economic evaluation of ecosystem services presented in monetary units can be used as a tool to enhance conservation of natural complexes in the process of industrial projects implementation

Ecotoxicological assay of seawater quality on the western Kamchatka shelf

Ecotoxicological assay of seawater quality along the shelf of West Kamchatka, including the areas of oil and gas deposits, was conducted in the summer of 2014. Temperature and salinity conditions were usual for summer season, as well as the field of density currents. For introduction of modern and representative bioassay methods in practice of environmental monitoring in the regions of oil and gas production and transportation, embryogenesis of sand dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis was used for biotesting. The stations with high number of the embryos and larvae abnormalities had mosaic distribution - this effect may be connected with shipping of fishing and merchant vessels

Urinary 1-Hydroxypyrene as a Biomarker of PAH Exposure in 3-Year-Old Ukrainian Children

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) is a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure. We measured urinary 1-OHP in 48 children 3 years of age in Mariupol, Ukraine, who lived near a steel mill and coking facility and compared these with 1-OHP concentrations measured in 42 children of the same age living in the capital city of Kiev, Ukraine. Children living in Mariupol had significantly higher urinary 1-OHP and creatinine-adjusted urinary 1-OHP than did children living in Kiev (adjusted: 0.69 vs. 0.34 μmol/mol creatinine, p < 0.001; unadjusted: 0.42 vs. 0.30 ng/mL, p = 0.002). Combined, children in both cities exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in their homes had higher 1-OHP than did children not exposed (0.61 vs. 0.42 μmol/mol creatinine; p = 0.04; p = 0.07 after adjusting for city). In addition, no significant differences were seen with sex of the children. Our sample of children in Mariupol has the highest reported mean urinary 1-OHP concentrations in children studied to date, most likely due to their proximity to a large industrial point source of PAHs

Collection and processing of environmental information in oil and gas production areas and solving other applied problems using active search methods (Review article)

The methods of monitoring the environmental situation as well as the problems of solving related applied environmental and resource problems in hard-to-reach areas of oil and gas production and also in other sectors of the national economy using unmanned aerial vehicles, are investigated. The methods of studying the types and thicknesses of the layers of the underlying surface by probing them with electromagnetic pulses of the radiofrequency range and gamma radiation are considered. Based on the existing theoretical dependencies of the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with the Earth’s surface, diagrams of the passage of electromagnetic waves in the decimeter and centimeter ranges through various landscape structures (snow-ice-water-frozen soil) are presented. It is shown that the use of gamma radiation makes it possible to solve the problem of determining the effective altitude of an aircraft during environmental monitoring due to the high energy of photon radiation and albedo from various surfaces including snow cover. A method for calculating the pollutant content on the underlying surface with a given probability of its reliable detection is presented. It is noted that the reliability of the readings of measuring instruments is significantly influenced by their geometric location on the transport platform. It is shown that the proposed solution is advisable to implement using two unmanned aerial vehicles or as mall-sized unmanned airship. Based on the review, the composition of the technical means of the complex for recognizing the types and thicknesses of layers of contamination of the underlying surface is proposed. A possible methodology for assessing the environmental situation is presented. The results of the work can be used in conducting environmental exploration of infrastructure used for transporting oil and gas resources in conditions of difficult access to it as well as for solving similar military-applied and engineering-construction tasks. At the same time, for the first time, the joint use of the radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves and gamma radiation was proposed. The radio frequency range makes it possible to study the structure of the landscape, and gamma radiation from backscattered ionizing radiation is a type of pollutant, as well as to ensure high accuracy in measuring the distance from the module to the upper layer of the underlying surface

Aspects of Serological Diagnostics of Listeriosis (Literature Review)

The review presents data on the antigenic structure and the current classification of epidemically significant serovariants of Listeria. Description of species-specific properties of serovariants of Listeria, which may be common for two or more species, and common antigens with staphylococci and typhoid and paratyphoid bacteria, are given. It has been shown that only the antigenic scheme of Listeria monocytogenes is of practical interest for medical microbiology. Importance of serotyping in the epidemiological analysis to determine the source of infections and ways of its spreading has been determined. Differences in the designation of serovariants in the diagnosis of listeriosis in medical practice are observed. High level of adaptive properties of Listeria, its ability to reproduce in an abiotic environment, including food, susceptibility of immunodeficient individuals, prevalence of food pathway of infection pose a significant danger of increased sickness rate with listeriosis. Serological diagnostics of Listeria has not been developed in detail, and the existing serological methods are aimed at identifying specific antibodies to listeria. Advantages of the serological method include: quick results and the possibility to study any biological material. Currently available serological methods have a number of disadvantages: low reliability of results and low specificity of the study. The most promising method for identification of a serological group of cultures, according to the world classification, is the multiplex PCR method, based on the correlation between the serogroup of an isolate and the presence of specific open reading frames in its genome

Russia and Sustainable Development : A Myth to Be Created or an Evolutionary Step?

This interdisciplinary study explores the idea of sustainable development in the context of one country: Russia. This work presents ‘the career’ of the idea of sustainable development at the federal level, including its practical implementations and impediments, as well as the illusions and disillusions at the local level. The dichotomy seen already in the thesis’ title acquires multiple articulations in this research of political and cultural handling of ideas of the cause of civilization, human and nature dignity in Russia. This study is particularly concerned with the gap between ideas and action. This gap takes, as a rule, the form of hypocrisy or inconsistency between decision and action. This research examines the discrepancies between international activities, national influences and circumstances and local cultures. Accordingly, I intend with this study to broaden initial ‘global’ elements of the idea of sustainable development with more local political, historical, cultural and emotional content. The study also discusses the ways in which culture and cultural crisis can influence our prospects for a sustainable future