Multistability near the boundary of noise-induced synchronization in ensembles of uncoupled chaotic systems

The aim of this work is to study the possibility of the existence of multistability near the boundary of noise-induced synchronization in chaotic continuous and discrete systems. Ensembles of uncoupled Lorenz systems and logistic maps being under influence of a common source of white noise have been chosen as an object under study. Methods. The noise-induced synchronization regime detection has been performed by means of direct comparison of the system states being under influence of the common noise source and by calculation of the synchronization error. To determine the presence of multistability near the boundary of this regime, the multistability measure has been calculated and its dependence on the noise intensity has been obtained. In addition, for fixed moments of time, the basins of attraction of the synchronous and asynchronous regimes have been received for one of the systems driven by noise for fixed initial conditions of the other system. The result of the work is a proof of the presence of multistability near the boundary of noise-induced synchronization. Conclusion. It is shown that the regime of intermittent noise-induced synchronization, as well as the regime of intermittent generalized synchronization, is characterized by multistability, which manifests itself in this case as the existence in the same time interval of the synchronous behavior in one pair of systems being under influence of a common noise source, whereas in the other pair the asynchronous behavior is observed. The found effect is typical for both flow systems and discrete maps being under influence of a common noise source. It can find an application in the information and telecommunication systems for improvement the methods for secure information transmission based on the phenomenon of chaotic synchronization

Impacts of urbanization on green infrastructure ecosystem services: the case study of post-soviet Moscow

Green infrastructure (GI) and ecosystem services (ES) improve the quality of urban life and aid city’s sustainable development. During the Soviet period, GI was an important part of spatial planning. Today, many post-Soviet cities face the problem of its deterioration due to the rapid economic growth and subsequent urban sprawl. Moscow is an exceptional case of a European city that both inherits features of central planning and integrates modern methods of greening. This paper aims to define the role of urban expansion in GI and ES transformation in Moscow during the last 25 years. Our method is based on combining spatial data on land-use from Open Street Map and Atlas of Urban Expansion, and reclassified Landsat images. The research revealed that the most important for ES provision land categories have gradually shrunk, especially in old Moscow, where the share of built-up area has increased by 18%. Considering the results, we stress that recent GI development mostly concerns small GI elements that do not provide regulating or supporting ES, while large GI massifs continue to deteriorate, thus resulting in a misbalance of urban ES provision.Les infrastructures vertes et les services écosystémiques améliorent la qualité de vie dans les villes et contribuent à leur développement durable. Sous le régime soviétique, les infrastructures vertes formaient une part considérable du développement territorial. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des villes post-soviétiques sont confrontées à leur détérioration en raison du développement économique fulgurant et de l'expansion urbaine qui s'ensuit. La ville de Moscou représente un cas particulier en Europe dans la mesure où elle doit combiner les caractéristiques d'un aménagement centralisé et la nécessité d'intégrer les méthodes modernes d'écologisation. Cet article tente de définir le rôle de l'expansion urbaine dans la transformation des infrastructures vertes et des services écosystémiques à Moscou au cours de ces 25 dernières années. Notre méthode se base sur la combinaison des données spatiales relatives à l'occupation du territoire à partir d'Open Street Map, de l'Atlas de l'expansion urbaine, ainsi que d'images Landsat reclassifiées.Notre recherche a révélé que l'utilisation des sols en faveur d'écosystèmes verts s'est peu à peu restreinte, en particulier dans l'ancien Moscou où la part des zones bâties s'est accrue de 18%.Au vu de ces résultats, nous soulignons le fait que le développement d'infrastructures vertes récent concerne principalement les petites entités où il n'existe ni régulation ni soutien aux services écosystémiques, alors que beaucoup d'infrastructures vertes continuent de se détériorer, ce qui crée un déséquilibre de la fourniture de services économiques urbains

A survey of helminths of polar bears in the Russian Arctic

The polar bear Ursus maritimus is a circumpolar species classified as vulnerable and included in the IUCN Red List. It is considered to be practically free of helminth parasites with the only species reported being Trichinella spiralis s. l. Samples of feces were collected on Chukotka coast, Wrangel Island and on ice floes in the Kara, Laptev and Chukchi seas in 2013-2015 in different seasons of the year. Coprological diagnostics was carried out using the standard flotation and sedimentation methods. In the samples collected in the snow-free period, a single sample (3.7%) was found to contain eggs of the nematode Toxascaris sp. In three out of 9 samples collected in the winter, eggs of a cestode Diphyllobothrium sp., of unidentified trematodes (presumably Heterophyidae) and of the strongylid nematode Uncinaria stenocephala were found as well as the first stage nematode larvae tentatively identified as Crenosoma sp. Viable Trichinella nativa larvae were recovered from the muscles of a female animal from north of Yakutia

Counter-Pandemic Vector of Remote Learning for University Students: Risks and Benefits of Educational Process Large-Scale Digitalization

The relevance of this study is due to the challenges of the global pandemic, which has led to the large-scale development of education digitalization. In this regard, this article is devoted to revealing the features of remote learning in the context of a global pandemic, identifying the risks and benefits of digital learning. The article reveals the discursive content of the counter-pandemic vector of distance learning for University students; defines the classification of risks and advantages of large-scale digitalization of students’ remote learning. Based on the results of the study, the authors justified the consolidated model of students distance learning, the counter-pandemic vector of which is a large-scale digitalization of the University educational process. The effectiveness of the model is proved by the results of its use in the process of large-scale digitalization of students’ remote learning in the context of a global pandemic. The materials of the article have practical application and can be useful in the development and implementation of digital educational complexes. They are recommended to teachers and students of the University, methodologists, curators, Tutors

Green infrastructure indicators for urban planning: applying the integrated approach for Russian largest cities

Modern approaches to urban planning assume the dualistic nature of urban green infrastructure (GI). On the one hand, green infrastructure is as an integrated network of natural and semi-natural areas, featuring a delivery of various benefits to humans. On the other hand, GI is multifunctional and provides the residents by complex of ecosystem services to be user-oriented. Most official reports and programs use common indicators that do not characterize distribution, dynamics or state of GI. In our research, we assessed the quality of GI in 15 largest Russian cities by using an integrated assessment of 13 indicators that make up three groups: the ones 1) characterizing general GI availability; 2) supporting a comfortable urban environment («recreational indicators»); and 3) forming a stable ecosystem («integrity indicators»). The cities were ranked by values of every indicator from 1 to 15 and then the results were summed and normalized to get a total mark (max. 100). To assess the development of GI elements of each group, we also ranked cities separately by values of different groups indicators. Thus, our study revealed that satisfactory marks for both recreational and integrity indicators have Ufa, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Perm and Voronezh. In contrast, Saint Petersburg, being a densely built-up city in an auspicious natural zone, got the worst result. According to the final assessment, the quality of green infrastructure in Krasnoyarsk, a large industrial city, and four cities from the steppe zone (Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Omsk, Novosibirsk) is also unsatisfactory. Our method does not cover all GI aspects (like vegetation health) and since it is based solely on remote sensing data and statistics data, there is definitely a room for improvement. However, this method, while being relatively quick and simple to accomplish, allows to assess not only general availability of GI, but its quality and distribution as well, which are essential for urban spatial planning

Green Infrastructure, Urbanization, and Ecosystem Services: The Main Challenges for Russia’s Largest Cities

Globally, the process of urbanization is transforming land use and, as a consequence, reducing the efficiency of ecosystem services (ESs), which ensure a healthy and comfortable urban environment. In cities, green infrastructure (GI) is a key source of urban ESs. Russia is a highly urbanized country: 70% of its population live in towns or cities. As cities continue to expand, they are swallowing unsealed lands that support ESs. In this paper, we present the results of an analysis of the current state and recent changes in urban GI in Russia’s 16 largest cities, including a biophysical evaluation of key urban ESs, using remote sensing data and freely available statistics. Our analysis identifies a weak correlation between GI area, ES volume, and favorable climate conditions as well as a stronger correlation between ESs and the increasing rate of urbanization. Considering Russia’s high level of urbanization, the key importance of ESs for the well-being of citizens, and ongoing reductions of urban GI, major revisions to urban planning policy are required. Indicators of urban biodiversity, GI, and ESs should be incorporated into decision-making processes. In particular, it is vital that the accounting and monitoring of GI and ESs are established in all of Russia’s larger cities

Green Infrastructure, Urbanization, and Ecosystem Services: The Main Challenges for Russia’s Largest Cities

Globally, the process of urbanization is transforming land use and, as a consequence, reducing the efficiency of ecosystem services (ESs), which ensure a healthy and comfortable urban environment. In cities, green infrastructure (GI) is a key source of urban ESs. Russia is a highly urbanized country: 70% of its population live in towns or cities. As cities continue to expand, they are swallowing unsealed lands that support ESs. In this paper, we present the results of an analysis of the current state and recent changes in urban GI in Russia’s 16 largest cities, including a biophysical evaluation of key urban ESs, using remote sensing data and freely available statistics. Our analysis identifies a weak correlation between GI area, ES volume, and favorable climate conditions as well as a stronger correlation between ESs and the increasing rate of urbanization. Considering Russia’s high level of urbanization, the key importance of ESs for the well-being of citizens, and ongoing reductions of urban GI, major revisions to urban planning policy are required. Indicators of urban biodiversity, GI, and ESs should be incorporated into decision-making processes. In particular, it is vital that the accounting and monitoring of GI and ESs are established in all of Russia’s larger cities

PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO FIRE PREVENTION IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS DUE TO VIOLATION OF RULES FOR GAS EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION AND OPERATION

The article provides an overview of regulatory legal acts and specialized regulatory documents on fire safety in the field of rules for gas equipment installation and operation. There is carried out the analysis of operational situation with fires in the Russian Federation due to violation of rules for gas equipment installation and operation. The basic rules for use of household gas appliances are prepared

Dynamic behavior model of the ballastless railroad track segment considering wave processes

The paper is devoted to the modification of the dynamic behavior model of a flat orthotropic element under shock and vibrational impacts. The impacts were caused by solid cylindrical body for the case of ballastless railway construction. The suggested model allows simulating the element deformation in the upper structure of the ballast-free design track. The propagation of elastic waves moving with finite speeds, orthotropic properties of the foundation slab, which allow optimally selecting rod reinforcement are taken into account. The obtained analytical and graphical results make it possible to assess the influence of properties of the reinforced concrete slab, the underframe speed, the presence of defects in wheel sets or rail bars, as well as the characteristics of the technical content of the track section