The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Geothermal Exploitation Monitoring: Khankala Field Example

The article is devoted to the use of unmanned aerial vehicle for geothermal waters exploitation monitoring. Development of a geothermal reservoir usually requires a system of wells, pipelines and pumping equipment and control of such a system is quite complicated. In this regard, use of unmanned aerial vehicle is relevant. Two test unmanned aerial vehicle based infrared surveys have been conducted at the Khankala field (Chechen Republic) with the Khankala geothermal plant operating at different regimes: during the first survey – with, and the second – without reinjection of used geothermal fluid. Unmanned aerial vehicle Geoscan 201 equipped with digital (Sony DSX-RX1) and thermal imaging (Thermoframe-MX-TTX) cameras was used. Besides different images of the geothermal plant obtained by the surveys, 13 thermal anomalies have been identified. Analysis of the shape and temperature facilitated determination of their different sources: fire, heating systems, etc., which was confirmed by a ground reconnaissance. Results of the study demonstrate a high potential of unmanned aerial vehicle based thermal imagery use for environmental and technological monitoring of geothermal fields under operation

The Evolution of the Circassians’ Oaths in the Context of Changing Religious Views in 1800-1855

The paper examines the evolution of the Circassians’ oaths in the period of 1800-1855 in the context of changing religious views. The research materials are represented with the archival documents of the State archive of the Krasnodar Krai (Krasnodar, Russian Federation) and with the sources of personal origin belonging to emissaries and agents who have investigated the situation or resided on the territory of Circassia for some time. The methodological basis of the paper includes the principles of historicism and objectivity which are traditional for research of this kind, as well as analytical, probabilistic-statistical, typological and comparative methods. Using these methods has allowed us to compare the oath texts and to identify their peculiar features. Besides, on the basis of various facts obtained in the process of documents’ processing, the method of historicism has let revealing the relevant phenomena and processes associated with the change of religious rules in Circassia in 1800-1855. We conclude that during the civil war in Circassia in 1785 the system of religious rules was changed, and the Koran got the equal right along with the Bible, the Psalms of David and the Book of Evangelists. After 15 years, in 1800, the Circassians swore on these four books in their oaths. However, in 1842, there was no mention of the Christian books in the oath texts. In our opinion, this fact proves the conducted activity aimed at discrediting the Christian and pagan beliefs of the population and the victorious spread of Islam in the region. Nevertheless, the Circassian aristocracy, who left Circassia and moved to the Russian territory, retained the references to the ancient Christian books in their oaths

Genome-wide sequence analyses of ethnic populations across Russia

The Russian Federation is the largest and one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, however no centralized reference database of genetic variation exists to date. Such data are crucial for medical genetics and essential for studying population history. The Genome Russia Project aims at filling this gap by performing whole genome sequencing and analysis of peoples of the Russian Federation. Here we report the characterization of genome-wide variation of 264 healthy adults, including 60 newly sequenced samples. People of Russia carry known and novel genetic variants of adaptive, clinical and functional consequence that in many cases show allele frequency divergence from neighboring populations. Population genetics analyses revealed six phylogeographic partitions among indigenous ethnicities corresponding to their geographic locales. This study presents a characterization of population-specific genomic variation in Russia with results important for medical genetics and for understanding the dynamic population history of the world's largest country

Cooperative reduction by Ln2+ and Cp*− ions: synthesis and properties of Sm, Eu, and Yb complexes with 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone

The first examples of samarium, europium, and ytterbium complexes with 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone (3,6-dbbq) in the form of catecholate have been obtained by reactions of the quinone with the corresponding lanthanocenes, Image ID:c5dt03573b-t2.gif (n = 1 or 2) in solution. In the course of the reactions lanthanide ions lose one or two Cp* ligands, which take part in reduction of a quinone molecule into a catecholate anion (dbcat, 2−). As a result of the reactions, Sm and Yb clearly yield dimeric complexes [(LnCp*)2(dbcat)2], where each Ln ion loses one Cp* ligand. Eu forms a trimeric complex [(EuCp*)(Eu·thf)2(dbcat)3], in which one Eu ion is coordinated by one Cp* ligand, while two Eu ions have lost all Cp* ligands and are coordinated by THF molecules instead. Magnetic properties corroborate the assignment of oxidation states made on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction: all the quinone ligands are present in the catecholate state; both Sm/Yb ions in the dimers are in the +3 oxidation state, whereas the Eu trimer contains two Eu(II) and one Eu(III) ions. Cyclovoltammetry studies show the presence of two reversible oxidation waves for all complexes, presumably concerned with the redox transitions of the dbcat ligands

NMR and EPR Study of Homolysis of Diastereomeric Alkoxyamines

Three alkoxyamines based on imidazoline radicals with a pyridine functional group—potential initiators of nitroxide-mediated, controlled radical polymerization—were synthesized. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) measurements reveal biexponential kinetics for the thermolysis for diastereomeric alkoxyamines and monoexponential kinetics for an achiral alkoxyamine. For comparison, the thermolysis of all three alkoxyamines was studied by NMR in the presence of three different scavengers, namely tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO), thiophenol (PhSH), and β-mercaptoethanol (BME), and detailed analysis of products was performed. NMR differentiates between N-inversion, epimerization, and homolysis reactions. The choice of scavenger is crucial for making a reliable and accurate estimate of the true homolysis rate constant