Nomenclature adjustments and new syntaxa of the arctic, alpine and oro-Mediterranean vegetation

Proposte sintassonomiche e nomenclaturali per la vegetazione della Tundra alpina. Il capitolo riguardante l'alta quota appenninica è il più corposo e propone il nuovo syntaxon Leontopodio-Elynion a livello di alleanza. La grande novità sta nel fatto che questa alleanza è da considerarsi anfi-Adriatica e unsice Appennino e balcani, differenziandosi dall'alleanza già definita da altri per le Alpi. i Pirenei e i Carpazi.During preparation of the European checklist of vegetation units (EuroVegChecklist), it became clear that some earlier described syntaxa need to be typified in order to stabilize nomenclature and some new syntaxa need to be described. Here we propose nomenclature adjustments and formal description of four new alliances for the Arctic, alpine and oro-Mediterranean vegetation of Europe, Greenland and Anatolia. First, we typify the class Juncetea trifidi. Second, we describe four new alliances, such as the Puccinellion nuttallianae (Low-Arctic salt steppes of Greenland; class Saxifrago tricuspidatae-Calamagrostietea purpurascentis), Dryado octopetalae- Caricion arctisibiricae (Arctic tundra vegetation of north-eastern European Russia; class Carici rupestris-Kobresietea bellardii), Leontopodio nivalis-Elynion myosuroidis (southern European alpine tundra vegetation; class Carici rupestris-Kobresietea bellardii) and Lagotido uralensis-Caricion ensifoliae (alpine tundra vegetation of the Southern Ural Mountains; class Juncetea trifidi). Two new associations are described within the first two of these alliances. Finally, we present an interpretation of the alliance Muscario-Scillion nivalis

Application of Membrane Filtration to Prevent Microbial Contamination of Lysimeter Water

Ultrafiltration is suggested for the elimination of artifacts evolved from the biochemical transformation of water-soluble organic substances in lysimeter collectors. A membrane filter installed between the vessel of the lysimeter and its collector provides the separation of microbial cells from water-soluble organic substances immediately at the infiltrate accumulation

Perception of Innovations by Primary Education Teachers: Case Study of Bilingual Classes in Moscow and Moscow Region

The article considers the balance of tradition and innovation as forms of cultural dynamics using the example of education. The review of scientific publications published in 2020-2021 has found that the research interest in the topic is characteristic both of Russianand Spanish-speaking authors, which allows us to refer to international experience, mainly Spanish, for comparison. In this research the authors focus on the project of bilingual classes in primary schools in Moscow and Moscow region. The idea of bilingual education is that educational material is presented in two languages, yet the language pairs can vary: official and minority, official and migrant, official and foreign languages. In the context of the case study, teachers of primary education constitute the most promising group due to the structural features of this level. The system in which one teacher is responsible for most of the subjects allows the project to be implemented gradually without involving a large number of pedagogical staff. At the same time, a teacher of a bilingual class has an opportunity to develop an independent teaching strategy, demonstrating a high level of methodological freedom. The survey among the teachers found that while there is a demand for counseling on their part, they are motivated and receptive to innovations

Detection of diphtheria antitoxin by four different methods

ObjectiveTo investigate the reliability of the different methods used in Norway and Russia for detection of diphtheria antitoxin.MethodsOne hundred and twenty-two sera were selected among Russian serum samples previously collected for seroepidemiologic studies of diphtheria antitoxin. The sera were selected to cover the total antitoxin range and were analyzed by four different antidiphtheria toxin assays: an in vitro toxin neutralization test using Vero cells (in vitro NT), an in vivo neutralization test using rabbit skin inoculation (in vivo NT), an indirect enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and a passive hemagglutination assay (PHA). The results were expressed according to the international standard as: not protected (<0.01 IU/mL), relatively protected (0.01–0.1 IU/mL) or protected (≤0.1 IU/mL). The sensitivity, specificity and inter-rater agreement (K or Kw) of each method were related to the in vitro NT selected as the reference method.ResultsThe in vivo NT test corresponded very well with the in vitro NT in its ability to differentiate between protection/relative protection and no protection (sensitivity 97%, specificity 87% and K=0.84). The EIA test showed a high sensitivity (96%), but since many sera were categorized as protected rather than not protected, the specificity (30%) and inter-rater agreement (K=0.29) were low. The PHA test had a very high specificity (100%) but a low sensitivity (86%).ConclusionsThe agreement between the two neutralization tests was high. If none of the neutralization assays is routinely available, the PHA test can be used to predict the need for vaccination on an individual basis but should not be used for seroepidemiologic studies, since the protection rate for diphtheria would be falsely too low, due to the lower sensitivity. The indirect EIA test used in this study should not be used routinely

Sociological diagnostics of crowdsourcing technology in the practice of regional management

The article proposes a methodology for identifying and analyzing the technology of crowdsourcing, examines the main stages of the formation, and analyzes the implementation of crowdsourcing technology into the practice of regional managemen

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