Population diversification in demographics, health, and living environments: the Barents Region in review

: This paper provides updates on the geographical patterns in well-being of the population of the Barents region by applying indicators used in demography, public health, and environmental studies. In particular, we analyze recent demographic trends with regard to gender, age, ethnicity, and over time (1990−2015), considering depopulation, aging age structures, mortality and fertility patterns in connection with environmental changes. We investigate environmental effects on population health and living conditions of the Barents people, including the impact of air and water contamination, food insecurity, housing conditions, and new diseases driven by climate change. In addition, we highlight the importance of human capital (highest educational attainment of population) in tackling socio-economic challenges as well as adapting to climate and other sweeping changes occurring in the Barents region. Barents territories show inequalities in post-secondary educational attainment distribution between average nation-wide level and northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, based on the latest data available. The results and discussion suggest a significant variability across regions in the context of the studied parameters, except for life expectancy. The causes and consequences of the diversification of these trends need to be further investigated; as does the spatial distribution of societal well-being in the Barents region, an important geographical alliance in the northernmost part of Europe. The evidence presented in this review may help in the planning of adaptive community programs which respond to stresses in society, health, and the environment in the Barents region

Russian economic report No. 17 (November 2008), The World Bank

After a decade of high growth, the Russian econoomy is experiencing a slowdown in the wake of the global financial crisis. While Russia's strong short-term macroeconomic fundamentals make it better than many emerging economies to deal with the crisis, its underlying structural weaknesses and high dependence on the price of a single commodity make its impact more pronounced than otherwise. But the crisis also presents an opportunity to address the medium- to longer term challenges of competitiveness, economic diversification, and financial sector modernization which are necessary to boost growth and living standards.Russia; Russian economy; Russian financial crisis; energy efficiency

Fatalism, Social Support and Mental Health in Four Former Soviet Cultures

Research on social support has identified differences in levels of support between cultures, but has provided only a limited explanation of the role of values or beliefs in accounting for such variations. In this paper we examine the relationship between fatalism and perceived support amongst 2672 respondents in four former Soviet States (Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Belorussia), with participants drawn from groups of manual workers, managers, civil servants, students and the retired in these four countries. We also examine the consequences of such social support for mental health across these nations. Findings indicate a small but significant moderator effect for fatalism on the relationship between social support and mental health. These results are discussed in the context of the continuing economic and social challenges facing the citizens of these nations

The formation of new oxygen-conductive solid electrolytes based on busmuth oxide

Представлены результаты исследования твердых растворов состава Bi3Nb1-xMxO7-x, где M= Er, In, W, Bi7Nb2-хMехO15.5-х, где Mе- Fe, Zr, La (х=0.1-0.5; ∆х=0.1). С помощью РФА, электронной микроскопии с рентгеновским микроанализом определены области гомогенности твердых растворов, рассчитаны кристаллохимические параметры. Доказано, что независимо от соотношения Bi: Nb при росте количества допанта формируются две кубические фазы для ряда ниобатов висмута, одна из которых представляет собой твердый раствор на основе Bi3NbO7 (δ- фаза), а вторая – твердый раствор на основе δ- Bi2O3 (δ'_фаза). Электропроводность спеченных образцов исследована методом импедансной спектроскопии.The results of studying solid solutions with the composition of Bi3Nb1-xMxO7-x, M= Er, In, W, Bi7Nb2-хMехO15.5-х Mе- Fe, Zr, La (х=0.1-0.5; ∆х=0.1) are presented. XRD and electron microscopy with X_ray microanalysis are used to determine the homogeneity regions of solid solutions; crystallochemical parameters are calculated. It is shown that irrespective of the ratio of Bi : Nb, two cubic phases are formed at an increase in the dopant amount. One of these represents a solid solution based on Bi3NbO7 (δ-phase) and the second one is a solid solution based on δ-Bi2O3 (δ'-phase). Conductivity of sintered samples is studied using the impedance spectroscopy technique.Программа развития УрФУ на 2013 год (п.2.1.2.1

Non-Markov stochastic dynamics of real epidemic process of respiratory infections

The study of social networks and especially of the stochastic dynamics of the diseases spread in human population has recently attracted considerable attention in statistical physics. In this work we present a new statistical method of analyzing the spread of epidemic processes of grippe and acute respiratory track infections (ARTI) by means of the theory of discrete non-Markov stochastic processes. We use the results of our last theory (Phys. Rev. E 65, 046107 (2002)) to study statistical memory effects, long - range correlation and discreteness in real data series, describing the epidemic dynamics of human ARTI infections and grippe. We have carried out the comparative analysis of the data of the two infections (grippe and ARTI) in one of the industrial districts of Kazan, one of the largest cities of Russia. The experimental data are analyzed by the power spectra of the initial time correlation function and the memory functions of junior orders, the phase portraits of the four first dynamic variables, the three first points of the statistical non-Markov parameter and the locally averaged kinetic and relaxation parameters. The received results give an opportunity to provide strict quantitative description of the regular and stochastic components in epidemic dynamics of social networks taking into account their time discreteness and effects of statistical memory. They also allow to reveal the degree of randomness and predictability of the real epidemic process in the specific social network.Comment: 18 pages, 8figs, 1 table

Synthesis of multi-loop automatic control systems by the nonlinear programming method

The article deals with the problem of calculation of the multi-loop control systems optimal tuning parameters by numerical methods and nonlinear programming methods. For this purpose, in the paper the Optimization Toolbox of Matlab is used