Findings of Phreatalona protzi (Hartwig, 1900) (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Chydoridae) in Russia

We discovered subfossil remains of Phreatalona protzi (Hartwig, 1900) (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Chydoridae) in a short sediment core taken from a small tundra lake Pe-03 located in the Pechora River delta, North-East of European part of Russia. This species had been described previously only from Central and Northern Europe. The occurrence of P. protzi in the Russian Arctic suggests that this chydorid species must be much more widely distributed than previously reported, and in the near future we expect findings of this species in other regions of Russia

Supply Chain Infrastructure Development in Russian Economy

Abstract- The article is devoted to the study of the activities of Zemstvo institutions for the development of supply chain infrastructure in the XIX-early XX centuries; identification of the role of the Zemstvo reform in the formation of supply chain infrastructure at the local level. Supply Chain infrastructure provides the means for chain economic entities and firms sharing a common interest to participate in a mutual exchange. Despite the fact that the provision of supply chain services was not among the priorities of the Zemstvos, significant results were achieved. The retrospective analysis allowed us to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the Zemstvo self-government system. The comparative method helped to identify trends in the financial and economic support of Zemstvo bodies at various stages of the Zemstvo reform, and to analyze key indicators of supply chain infrastructure development. It is concluded that the success of the Zemstvo self-government bodies in the development of supply chain infrastructure was due to the availability of significant organizational resources, ensuring sustainable interaction of Zemstvos with the population, active support for local initiatives and the formation of a system of public control. The authors note that the experience of implementing the principle of consolidation of the main directions of management activities for the development of supply chain infrastructure, formed by local authorities, can be in demand in modern conditions and adapted to the current system of local government in Russia for economy efficiency

Biogeographic patterns of planktonic and meiobenthic fauna diversity in inland waters of the Russian Arctic

Broad-scale assessment of biodiversity is needed for detection of future changes across substantial regions of the Arctic. Presently, there are large data and information gaps in species composition and richness of the freshwater planktonic and meiobenthos communities of the Russian Arctic. Analysis of these data is very important for identifying the spatial distribution and temporal changes in species richness and diversity of rotifers, cladocerans, and copepods in the continental Russian Arctic. We investigated biogeographic patterns of freshwater plankton and meiobenthos fromc. 67 degrees to 73 degrees N by analysing data over the period 1960-2017. These data include information on the composition of rotifers, cladocerans, and copepods obtained from planktonic and meiobenthic samples, as well as from subfossil remains in bottom sediments of seven regions from the Kola Peninsula in the west, to the Indigirka River Basin (east Siberia) in the east. Total richness included 175 species comprised of 49 rotifer genera, 81 species from 40 cladoceran genera, and 101 species from 42 genera of calanoid, cyclopoid, and harpacticoid copepods. Longitudinal trends in rotifer and micro-crustacean diversity were revealed by change in species composition from Europe to eastern Siberia. The most common and widespread species were 19 ubiquitous taxa that includedKellicottia longispina(Rotifera),Chydorus sphaericuss. lat. (Cladocera),Heterocope borealis,Acanthocyclops vernalis, andMoraria duthiei(Copepoda). The highest number of rare species was recorded in the well-studied region of the Bolshezemelskaya tundra and in the Putorana Plateau. The total number of copepod and rotifer species in both Arctic lakes and ponds tended to increase with latitude. Relative species richness of copepods was positively associated with waterbody area, elevation, and precipitation, while relative species richness of cladocerans was positively related to temperature. This result is consistent with known thermophilic characteristics of cladocerans and the cold tolerance properties of copepods, with the former being dominant in shallow, warmer waterbodies of some western regions, and the latter being dominant in large cold lakes and waterbodies of eastern regions. Rotifers showed a negative association with these factors. Alpha- and beta-diversity of zooplankton in the Russian Arctic were strongly related to waterbody type. Lake zooplankton communities were more diverse than those in pond and pool systems. Moreover, the highest beta-diversity values were observed in regions that showed a greater breadth in latitude and highly heterogeneous environmental conditions and waterbody types (Bolshezemelskaya tundra and Putorana Plateau). Redistribution of freshwater micro-fauna caused by human activities occurred in the 1990s and 2000s. As a result of climate warming, a few cladoceran species appear to have extended their range northward. Nevertheless, the rotifer and micro-crustacean fauna composition and diversity of the majority of Arctic regions generally remain temporally conservative, and spatial differences in composition and species richness are chiefly associated with the differences between the warmer European and colder east Siberian climates.Peer reviewe

Biomathematical approach determination of a rational formula of complex phytocompositions

Despite the huge achievements of pharmaceutical chemistry, herbal medicines based on medicinal plant raw materials (MPRMs) are still in demand for the treatment of both humans and animals diseases. Their main advantage is the small number of contraindications and side effects. In this case, not one but several phytocompositions are often used, which makes it possible to enhance the effectiveness of the drugs and expand the spectrum of action. The key point in creating multicomponent (galenic) preparations is the development of an accurate phytocomposition formula that best meets the set goals. This process is quite complex and timeconsuming. The purpose of this study was to determine the rational formula of complex phytocompositions based on a biomathematical approach. To reduce the number of performed experiments compared to blind enumeration and increase the reliability and efficiency of the quantitative formula of the phytocomposition, we tested a combination of the approach used in mathematics to search for the extremum of functions of many variables with a biological experiment on Parametium caudatum. In this case, the variables were the shares of each MPRM in the final recipe; function was understood as the pharmacological activity of a substance, determined through its membrane-stabilizing and antioxidant effect. This made it possible to determine the effective ratio of phytocomposition components faster and at lower costs. A comparison was made among more than 100 model samples. It has been established that all of them are non-toxic and have a good antioxidant and membranestabilizing effect. The final combination is by 10-20% more effective than other model samples and therefore it is advisable to use it in the future as the main ingredient for obtaining liposomal preparations for external use with a good pharmacological effect

«Информационно-библиографическая культура»: современные подходы к преподаванию (из опыта библиотеки Челябинского государственного университета)

The fifteen-year experience in teaching the discipline “Information and bibliographic culture” at Chelyabinsk State University is discussed. The University librarians are involved in the discipline schedule design. The authors examine both positive and negative aspects of the discipline distant teaching.Представлен 15-летний опыт преподавания дисциплины «Информационно-библиографическая культура» в Челябинском государственном университете. Освещено участие сотрудников библиотеки университета в создании рабочей программы этой дисциплины. Отмечены как положительные стороны, так и отдельные негативные моменты дистанционного преподавания дисциплины

Covid-19 anti-proverbs in russian

In the article, the authors analyze Russian anti-proverbs about COVID-19 that became popular on the internet during the pandemic. The anti-proverbs under study describe the most important parts of people’s lives that were changed during the pandemic: the new disease, life in quarantine, working in quarantine, and fighting with the disease. These five spheres allowed dividing all the anti-proverbs into five semantic modules bearing the same names. The substitutes in the anti-proverbs are semantically related to the four semantic fields: disease, health, work and internet. The theoretical ground for the study of anti-proverbs is based on the idea that they are syntactically independent units that express certain wisdom and are used as means of language play. They produce an emotional impact on people and thus become a tool for influencing social opinion. The mechanisms of the creation of the anti-proverbs are studied in the article and the most widely used mechanisms are revealed

Western Beringia and beyond - three decades of German-Russian paleoenvironmental research on Siberian permafrost

With first joint fieldwork on Taymyr Peninsula during mid-1990s, a successful cooperation of German, Russian, and further international partners on permafrost and Quaternary palaeoenvironments in Siberia was started and resulted in extensive joint research for 3 decades. Studies of permafrost deposits and ground ice provided insights on past environmental and climatic changes, covering several hundreds of thousands of years into the past. They provide multi-proxy evidence for multiple glacial/interglacial cycles and different periods of past climate change or stability in Arctic land environments. Study objects were natural permafrost exposures along coastal sections, thaw slumps, and river banks, studied mostly during summers, complemented by permafrost cores from land, lake and sea ground drilled mostly in spring. Exposure geometry and stratigraphic horizon thickness have been surveyed using laser tachymetry, other measuring equipment, and drones. Based on multi-proxy analyses, mid- and late Quaternary periods were studied, resulting in >300 scientific papers. The approach includes geomorphic studies, various geochronological analyses, analysis of frozen sediments (for ice, carbon, nitrogen, and carbonate contents, grain-size parameters, magnetic susceptibility, heavy mineral compositions), ground ice (stable water isotopes, major ions) and of numerous fossil bioindicators, to reconstruct the Quaternary paleoenvironmental change. Oldest permafrost horizons were dated from the Batagay mega-thaw-slump (Yana Uplands) to about 650 ky with luminescence dating. Here and elsewhere, records of Eemian and Holocene interglacial periods, and environmental conditions associated with it were targeted. Many sites with late Pleistocene Yedoma Ice Complex have been explored. Lateglacial and Holocene warming induced enormous periglacial landscape changes by widespread permafrost degradation and substantial paleoecological changes. For vast Siberian areas where glacial records are not available, we aim on the establishment of permafrost as paleoclimatic archive, emphasizing peculiarities of permafrost age control and record resolution and stressing the great potential for understanding climate variability on glacial-interglacial timescales in Western Beringia