Institutional stability of public administration in conditions of sustainable development: geopolitical aspect

The relevance of the question of the development of public administration in the modern world is important because it is one of the decisive factors affecting the well-being of each state. The purpose of the article is to identify the problems faced by modern institutions of public administration, as well as the ways of their development based on consideration of the management system of the two leading countries of the world. During the research, the following methods of the theoretical block were used: analysis, synthesis, concretization, and generalization of information. The following conclusions were made as a result of the study: the historical development and the current state of public administration in China and the United States were analyzed. It was determined that the modern confrontation between the U.S. and China will intensify in the future and one of the areas of struggle will be the system of governance. It was found out that the main problem of modern management in democratic countries is the presence of bureaucratic elements, so in the future, there will be a departure from them, by increasing the power of managers in the field. The role of outsourcing in the public administration of the future was also examined. In general, it was concluded that the change and sustainability of institutions depends on the type of states. This article will be useful, first of all, to management scientists who study in detail the phenomenon of public administration and develop a theory of its reform. Also, the materials of this article will be useful for political scientists who study modern geopolitical processes

ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN MANAGEMENT OF THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY ENTERPRISE

This article is about questions of employee engagement in management of the nuclear industry enterprises

Mapping assessment of gully erosion in the east of the Russian plain

Detailed-scale mapping of gully network based on the river basin approach was carried out for the eastern part of the Russian Plain using remote sensing data. The total number of selected catchments was 4575, average catchment area - 37.5 km 2 . GIS map of regions with different degree of gully dissection was created based on the produced geospatial database on the gulliy density in elementary catchments. Eight types of gully dissection were recognized in the studied area. Average gully density was estimated at 0.21 km/km 2 , with local highs up to 2-2.3 km/km 2 in some basins between the rivers Volga and Tsivil, at the right bank of the lower Kama and in the upper part of the right side of the Sviyaga River valley. Strong gully dissection (0.5-1.0 km/km 2 ) is the dominating category characteristic for 28.3% of elementary catchments. More than a quarter of all the elementary catchments located in the southern taiga subzone of Udmurt Republic and forested part of Mari El Republic demonstrate the absence or sporadic occurrence of gullies. The interpretation of repeated space and aerial images for two time intervals allowed to determine the changes of gully length in the north-western part of studied area at the end of the XX century. It was found that during the 23-25-year time interval, the total length of gully network in the Udmurt Republic decreased by 2%. Decline of gully erosion activity was observed mainly in the southern half of Udmurtia, which is marked by the higher degree of gully dissection. Rise of gully erosion exhibited by the appearance of new gullies on the previously non-eroded slopes was found in the northern part ofUdmurtiaandinthe Kilmez' River basin

Mapping and spatial-temporal assessment of gully density in the Middle Volga region, Russia

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. A large-scale mapping of gully density was carried out for the Middle Volga region of the Russian Plain (188 000 km2) based on the interpretation of aerial photographs (scale 1:17 000; surveys undertaken during 1956–1970). In addition, spatial-temporal dynamic of gully density were assessed for some parts of the study area (the Udmurt Republic and the Mesha and Ulema River basins of Tatarstan), based on the interpretation of aerial photographs (survey 1986–1991) and high resolution satellite images (2012–2015). Information on factors potentially controlling gully formation and development were collected and a geographic information system (GIS) analysis was conducted. Results show the strong development of gullies in the study area over the 1956–1970 period with an average gully density of 0.21 km km−2. For the Udmurt region, we found that gully densities varied little in the period 1956–1986, during which the total active gully length reduced with only 2%. This period was characterized by low variable climatic conditions and a stable fraction of arable land with a relatively continuous crop rotation system. However, gully dynamics seems to have changed more strongly during recent decades. We found a strong (order of magnitude) reduction in active gully density for the period 2010–2015 as compared to 1986–1991. The main reason for this is likely the increasing winter air temperatures. This leads to a significant reduction in surface runoff during spring as a result of snowmelt. Nonetheless, in some regions (i.e. the Udmurt Republic in the taiga zone), the abandonment of arable land after 1991 likely plays a significant role. Likewise, a decline in the frequency of extreme rainfall events (> 50 mm) may have played a role. All of these factors contribute to a reduction of surface runoff to the gullies and their subsequent stabilization. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Site types revisited : comparison of traditional Russian and Finnish classification systems for European Boreal forests

doi: 10.1111/avsc.12525Questions Forest classifications are tools used in research, monitoring, and management. In Finland, the Cajanderian forest site type classification is based on the composition of understorey vegetation with the assumption that it reflects in a predictable way the site's productive value. In Russia, the Sukachevian forest classification is similarly based on understorey vegetation but also accounts for tree species, soil wetness, and paludification. Here we ask whether Cajander's and Sukachev's forest types are effectively the same in terms of species composition, site productivity, and biodiversity. Location Boreal forests on mineral soils in Finland and the Russian part of Fennoscandia. Methods We use vegetation and soil survey data to compare the Cajanderian and the Sukachevian systems in terms of the understorey community composition (that is supposed to define them), soil fertility and tree productivity (that they are expected to indicate), and biodiversity (that is of interest for conservation purposes). We create and employ class prediction models to divide Russian and Finnish sites into Cajander's and Sukachev's types, respectively, based on vegetation composition. We perform cross-comparisons between the two systems by non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and statistical tests. Results Within both systems, the site types formed similar, meaningful gradients in terms of the studied variables. Certain site types from the two systems were largely overlapping in community composition and arranged similarly along the fertility gradient and may thus be considered comparable. Conclusions The Cajanderian and the Sukachevian systems were both developed in the European boreal zone but differ in terms of the exact rules by which site types are determined. Our results show that analogous types between the systems can be identified. These findings aid in endeavours of technology and information transfer between Finnish and Russian forests for the purposes of basic or applied ecological research and forest management.Peer reviewe

How fast do gully headcuts retreat?

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. Gully erosion has important on and off site effects. Therefore, several studies have been conducted over the past decades to quantify gully headcut retreat (GHR) in different environments. Although these led to important site-specific and regional insights, the overall importance of this erosion process or the factors that control it at a global scale remain poorly understood. This study aims to bridge this gap by reviewing research on GHR and conducting a meta-analysis of measured GHR rates worldwide. Through an extensive literature review, GHR rates for 933 individual and actively retreating gullies have been compiled from more than 70 study areas worldwide (comprising a total measuring period of >19 600 years). Each GHR rate was measured through repeated field surveys and/or analyses of aerial photographs over a period of at least one year (maximum: 97 years, median: 17 years). The data show a very large variability, both in terms of gully dimensions (cross-sectional areas ranging between 0.11 and 816 m2 with a median of 4 m2) and volumetric GHR rates (ranging between 0.002 and 47 430 m3 year- 1 with a median of 2.2 m3 year- 1). Linear GHR rates vary between 0.01 and 135 m year- 1 (median: 0.89 m year- 1), while areal GHR rates vary between 0.01 and 3628 m2 year- 1 (median: 3.12 m2 year- 1). An empirical relationship allows estimating volumetric retreat rates from areal retreat rates with acceptable uncertainties. By means of statistical analyses for a subset of 724 gullies with a known contributing area, we explored the factors most relevant in explaining the observed 7 orders of magnitudes of variation in volumetric GHR rates. Results show that measured GHR rates are significantly correlated to the runoff contributing area of the gully (r2 = 0.15) and the rainy day normal (RDN; i.e. the long-term average annual rainfall depth divided by the average number of rainy days; r2 = 0.47). Other factors (e.g. land use or soil type) showed no significant correlation with the observed GHR rates. This may be attributed to the uncertainties associated with accurately quantifying these factors. In addition, available time series data demonstrate that GHR rates are subject to very large year-to-year variations. As a result, average GHR rates measured over short (100%) uncertainties. We integrated our findings into a weighted regression model that simulates the volumetric retreat rate of a gully headcut as a function of upstream drainage area and RDN. When weighing each GHR observation proportional to its measuring period, this model explains 68% of the observed variance in GHR rates at a global scale. For 76% of the monitored gullies, the simulated GHR values deviate less than one order of magnitude from their corresponding observed value. Our model clearly indicates that GHR rates are very sensitive to rainfall intensity. Since these intensities are expected to increase in most areas as a result of climate change, our results suggest that gully erosion worldwide will become more intense and widespread in the following decades. Finally, we discuss research topics that will help to address these challenges

Thermal Flows

Flows of thermal origin and heat transfer problems are central in a variety of disciplines and industrial applications. The present book entitled Thermal Flows consists of a collection of studies by distinct investigators and research groups dealing with different types of flows relevant to both natural and technological contexts. Both reviews of the state-of-the-art and new theoretical, numerical and experimental investigations are presented, which illustrate the structure of these flows, their stability behavior, and the possible bifurcations to different patterns of symmetry and/or spatiotemporal regimes. Moreover, different categories of fluids are considered (liquid metals, gases, common fluids such as water and silicone oils, organic and inorganic transparent liquids, and nano-fluids). This information is presented under the hope that it will serve as a new important resource for physicists, engineers and advanced students interested in the physics of non-isothermal fluid systems; fluid mechanics; environmental phenomena; meteorology; geophysics; and thermal, mechanical and materials engineering