Competing ideologies of Russia's civil society

Many analysts and public opinion makers in the West conflate the notions of Russia’s non-systemic liberal opposition and the country’s civil society. Indeed, despite garnering the support of a minority of Russia’s population, non-systemic liberal opposition represents a well-organized civic group with a clearly articulated agenda and the ability to take action. Yet, does Russia’s civil society end there? A closer look at the country’s politics shows that Russia has a substantial conservative-traditionalist faction that has also developed agenda for action and formulated opinions. This group is anti-liberal rather than illiberal ideologically and pro-strong state/pro a geopolitically independent Russia rather than pro-Kremlin politically. The interaction between liberal and conservative civic groups represents the battle of meanings, ideas, and ethics, and ultimately determines the future trajectory of Russia’s evolution. Thus, the analysis of Russia’s civil society must represent a rather more nuanced picture than a mere study of the liberal non-systemic opposition. This article will examine the complexity of Russia’s civil society scene with reference to the interplay between the liberal opposition and conservative majority factions. The paper will argue that such complexity stems from ideological value pluralism that falls far beyond the boundaries of the liberal consensus, often skewing our understanding of political practice in Russia

MG-CR-TYPE SPINEL PERIDOTITES IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN OROGENIC BELT (ZHELTAU MASSIF, SOUTHERN KAZAKHSTAN): THE FIRST DATA ON P-T PATHS AND PROTOLITHS

Ultramafic and mafic lithologies, attributed to the orogenic terranes and formed under ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) and high-pressure (HP) conditions, have been intensively studied for the last decades. It is mainly related to a particular significance of these rocks for geodynamics, since they contain an important information on the fluid-rock interactions and element redistribution in the subduction-collision zones and could shed the light on the tectonic evolution of the studied region.Ultramafic and mafic lithologies, attributed to the orogenic terranes and formed under ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) and high-pressure (HP) conditions, have been intensively studied for the last decades. It is mainly related to a particular significance of these rocks for geodynamics, since they contain an important information on the fluid-rock interactions and element redistribution in the subduction-collision zones and could shed the light on the tectonic evolution of the studied region

Symmetry and reciprocity constraints on diffraction by gratings of quasi-planar particles

Symmetry and reciprocity constraints on polarization state of the field diffracted by gratings of quasi-planar particles are considered. It is shown that the optical activity effects observed recently in arrays of quasi-planar plasmonic particles on a dielectric substrate are due to the reflection of the field at the air-dielectric slab interface and are proportional to this reflection coefficient.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 12 references; minor corrections for better appearanc

Dynamical Theory of Artificial Optical Magnetism Produced by Rings of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

We present a detailed analytical theory for the plasmonic nanoring configuration first proposed in [A. Alu, A. Salandrino, N. Engheta, Opt. Expr. 14, 1557 (2006)], which is shown to provide negative magnetic permeability and negative index of refraction at infrared and optical frequencies. We show analytically how the nanoring configuration may provide superior performance when compared to some other solutions for optical negative index materials, offering a more 'pure' magnetic response at these high frequencies, which is necessary for lowering the effects of radiation losses and absorption. Sensitivity to losses and the bandwidth of operation of this magnetic inclusion are also investigated in details and compared with other available setups.Comment: 34 pages, 3 figure

Suspended liquid particle disturbance on laser-induced blast wave and low density distribution

The impurity effect of suspended liquid particles on the laser-induced gas breakdown was experimentally investigated in quiescent gas. The focus of this study is the investigation of the influence of the impurities on the shock wave structure as well as the low density distribution. A 532 nm Nd:YAG laser beam with an 188 mJ/pulse was focused on the chamber filled with suspended liquid particles 0.9 ± 0.63 μm in diameter. Several shock waves are generated by multiple gas breakdowns along the beam path in the breakdown with particles. Four types of shock wave structures can be observed: (1) the dual blast waves with a similar shock radius, (2) the dual blast waves with a large shock radius at the lower breakdown, (3) the dual blast waves with a large shock radius at the upper breakdown, and (4) the triple blast waves. The independent blast waves interact with each other and enhance the shock strength behind the shock front in the lateral direction. The triple blast waves lead to the strongest shock wave in all cases. The shock wave front that propagates toward the opposite laser focal spot impinges on one another, and thereafter a transmitted shock wave (TSW) appears. The TSW interacts with the low density core called a kernel; the kernel then longitudinally expands quickly due to a Richtmyer-Meshkov-like instability. The laser-particle interaction causes an increase in the kernel volume which is approximately five times as large as that in the gas breakdown without particles. In addition, the laser-particle interaction can improve the laser energy efficiency

Impact of self-regulation methods on the psycho-emotional state of future teachers

The authors remark the necessity to develop the psycho-emotional self-assessment and self-regulation capability of future teachers during the period of vocational training at the university. The training program on the development of students' psycho-emotional self-regulation is presented. The possibility of training practice on behavior and activity self-regulation development as one of the phenomena of a person’s mental life is investigated via methods of questioning, operational control of neuropsychic activity (electrocutaneous resistance), and the Luscher tes