Inside the Dwelling: Clay Figurines of the Jägala Jõesuu V Stone Age Settlement Site (Estonia)

Sculpted clay figurines were widespread in Stone Age Europe. Theywere common in the hunter-gatherer communities in the territoriesof Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Western and NorthwesternRussia. In these territories they were mainly associated with theComb, Pitted and Pit-Comb Ware cultures, ca 4000–2000 yearscalBC. This paper examines clay sculptures from the Jägala JõesuuV Comb Ware culture settlement site in northern Estonia, where 91fragments of figurines were found, making it the most abundantdeposits of clay figurines and their fragments in the eastern Baltic.Among them, three different types of image were distinguished:one zoomorphic (harbour porpoise) and two anthropomorphic. Allthe figurines were fragmented intentionally in ancient times, asdetermined by microscopic and experimental research. Most of thefragments were situated in the filling of a pit-house, which indicatesthat the dwelling had a sacral as well as a habitational dimension.During the research process, Stone Age clay figurines from nine moreComb Ware culture sites of Estonia and Ingria were catalogued. Thecatalogue contains 13 previously published and 21 newly discoveredinstances and radiocarbon dates taken at the sites, some of whichare being published for the first time

New records to the vascular flora of Kazakhstan (Central Asia)

The paper presents distributional data for seven species new for the flora of Kazakhstan: Atriplex gardneri var. aptera(A. Nelson) S. L. Welsh. & Crompton, Cardamine hirsuta L., Carduus acanthoides L., Galega orientalis Lam., Silene csereiBaumg., Didymophysa fedtschenkoana Regel and Acinos arvensis (Lam.) Dandy. Didymophysa fedtschenkoana is a native ele-ment in the Kazakh flora; the other species should be treated as alien, expansively spreading or invasive in this part of Asia. A list of localities of the species in Kazakhstan and their habitat preferences are presented

Ecological preferences and abundances of populations of protected lichens in linden forests on the Salair Ridge in Altai Territory

For a comprehensive assessment of the habitats of rare and vulnerable lichen species, the Tilia sibirica forest in the Zarinsky Districts of the Altai Territory was studied. Plant communities were described on 25 sample plots. Seven species of lichens listed in the Red data book of the Altai Territory were found in the studied forests: Graphis scripta, Heterodermia speciosa, Lobaria pulmonaria, Nephroma bellum, Ramalina roesleri, R. sinensis, and R. vogulica. New quantitative data on cenopopulations of the studied lichen species in Salair region have been obtained. Ecological preferences are indicated for each species and the abundance of populations (dm2/ha) are calculated. Linden forest is shown to have a high conservation value regarding lichens

To the issue of third edition of the Red List of the Kemerovo region

Recent systematic floristic researches cause the necessity of changes and amendments in the lists of rare and disappearing plants, included in the Red Book of the Kemerovo region of first (2000) and second (2012) edition. New recommendations for third edition are proposed. 142 species will be included into third edition of the Red Book of the Kemerovo region 32 more species will be added for the first time, 18 species will be removed. Only 46 species will keep both the presence and statuses (categories) of a rarity; 34 species, presented in all three lists, will change their category (status)

From a Concentration of Finds to Stone Age Architecture

High-quality documentation that was made during fieldwork at archaeological sites can provide new information for old excavations, even decades later. The revision of the archival data of the Stone Age settlement site Lommi III, located in the border zone of Russia and Estonia and excavated by Richard Indreko in 1940, allowed us to identify the remains of a Comb Ware culture (4th millennium cal BC) pit-house based on the concentration of artefacts marked in the field drawings. The rectangular shape and size of the concentration (c. 7.1x4.4m, depth 0.7–0.75m) corresponds to the architectural form common in the European forest zone and has numerous analogies at the settlement sites of that time in Finland, Karelia (Russia) and Estonia. The composition and diversity of the finds and their distribution indicate the (semi-)sedentary way of life of inhabitants of the pit-house. The radiocarbon age obtained from the organic crust on pottery fragments collected in the pit-house corresponds to the first half of 4th millennium cal BC

Biodiversity of vascular plants of Kuzbass

The latest vascular plants biodiversity data of Kuzbass region is presented. The species that should be excluded from the Kemerovo region flora list are reported. The species that require further research for making an exclusion from Kuzbass vascular plants species list are mentioned. Additionally, rare species that can already be attributed to disappeared ones from the territory of the region are noted. It is established that there are 1728 species of vascular plants at the present time on the territory of Kuzbass

Increasing the efficiency of technological preparation for the production of the manufacture components equipment for the mineral resource complex

An increase of components production for the equipment intended for oil and gas production is a key factor for analyzing existing technological processes and searching for new technological solutions to improve the efficiency of the production process and the quality of components. The article presents a simulation model designed to determine the rational technological processing parameters for the production of the “Centralizer shell” part. The basis for optimizing the working cycle of a production line is synchronization based on the principle of proportionality, which involves equalizing the duration of all technological operations with the rhythm of the production line. Synchronization of technological operations on the production line is carried out by choosing rational cutting parameters for each technological transition (cutting speed, feedrate, number of working passes). The “Centralizer shell” part is made of titanium alloy VT16, which has high strength, corrosion resistance and ductility. For the part under consideration, the permissible values ​​of the cutting parameters were determined based on the calculation of the total processing error, as well as the frequency of replacement of the worn cutting tool. The simulation model described in the article made it possible to increase the efficiency of the production process due to the synchronization of technological operations and the search for rational technological parameters, as well as to improve the manufacturing quality of the “Centralizer shell” part by analyzing the processing error at various parameters of the technological process

New records to the vascular flora of Kazakhstan (Central Asia)

The paper presents distributional data for seven species new for the flora of Kazakhstan: Atriplex gardneri var. aptera (A. Nelson) S. L. Welsh. & Crompton, Cardamine hirsuta L., Carduus acanthoides L., Galega orientalis Lam., Silene cserei Baumg., Didymophysa fedtschenkoana Regel and Acinos arvensis (Lam.) Dandy. Didymophysa fedtschenkoana is a native element in the Kazakh flora; the other species should be treated as alien, expansively spreading or invasive in this part of Asia. A list of localities of the species in Kazakhstan and their habitat preferences are presented

Contribution to the flora of Asian and European countries: new national and regional vascular plant records, 3

The paper presents new records for 18 vascular plant species from six Eurasian countries. Three taxa (Lepidium densiflorum, Stipa czerepanovii, Xanthium albinum) are reported from Kazakhstan, one (Ranunculus schmakovii) from Mongolia, three (Dianthus campestris, Ranunculus kauffmannii, Viola suavis) from Poland, five (Eragrostis amurensis, Linum catharticum, Ludwigia peploides subsp. stipulacea, Pyrethrum mikeschinii, Solidago canadensis) from Tajikistan, five (Clinopodium menthifolium, Juncus effusus, Mollugo cerviana, Poa sphondylodes, Vulpia myuros) from Russia, and one (Orobanche alba subsp. xanthostigma) from Georgia. Ten of the taxa presented (Clinopodium menthifolium, Dianthus campestris, Eragrostis amurensis, Juncus effusus, Lepidium densiflorum, Mollugo cerviana, Solidago canadensis, Viola suavis, Vulpia myuros and Xanthium albinum) are regarded as alien to the studied areas, whereas the remaining eight are native elements to the flora of the countries. For each species, synonyms, general distribution, habitat preferences, taxonomy with remarks on recognition and differentiation of the species from the most similar occurring in a given country, as well as a list of localities recorded (often far from the previously known areas), are presented

Contribution to the flora of Asian and European countries: new national and regional vascular plant records, 3

The paper presents new records for 18 vascular plant species from six Eurasian countries. Three taxa (Lepidium densiflorum, Stipa czerepanovii, Xanthium albinum) are reported from Kazakhstan, one (Ranunculus schmakovii) from Mongolia, three (Dianthus campestris, Ranunculus kauffmannii, Viola suavis) from Poland, five (Eragrostis amurensis, Linum catharticum, Ludwigia peploides subsp. stipulacea, Pyrethrum mikeschinii, Solidago canadensis) from Tajikistan, five (Clinopodium menthifolium, Juncus effusus, Mollugo cerviana, Poa sphondylodes, Vulpia myuros) from Russia, and one (Orobanche alba subsp. xanthostigma) from Georgia. Ten of the taxa presented (Clinopodium menthifolium, Dianthus campestris, Eragrostis amurensis, Juncus effusus, Lepidium densiflorum, Mollugo cerviana, Solidago canadensis, Viola suavis, Vulpia myuros and Xanthium albinum) are regarded as alien to the studied areas, whereas the remaining eight are native elements to the flora of the countries. For each species, synonyms, general distribution, habitat preferences, taxonomy with remarks on recognition and differentiation of the species from the most similar occurring in a given country, as well as a list of localities recorded (often far from the previously known areas), are presented