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Several places were discovered in the mountains of the Kodar Ridge in Transbaikalia that are regularly visited by snow sheep (Ovis nivicola) for the purpose of consuming coal (Chepa Formation, Jurassic). It was registered by trap cameras that an adult ram eats from tens to hundreds of grams of coal gruss and dust at one time. The "eatable" coals were studied comprehensively, including their geochemistry. The content and balance of mobile forms of trace elements, including rare earth elements (REEs), were determined. It has been established that the sum of REEs in coal varies from 0.19 to 0.27 kg/t, which is 3.5–4 times higher than the clarke value. Elements of the light subgroup (LREEs) predominate in the REE composition. Monazite, xenotime, and rhabdophane were revealed in the consumed coals by analytical scanning electron microscopy. Acid (HCl, pH-1) extract showed that among the elements released from the coal, only a few trace elements, including LREEs, are likely to be significant to the animals. The data that we obtained from the previous landscape-geochemical studies in the areas of mass geophagy in Sikhote-Alin and Gorny Altai and on Olkhon Island (Baikal) suggest that snow sheep on the Kodar Ridge regularly consume coal due to the intention of the animals to restore a disturbed REE balance in the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the description of multicenter ion-coordination polymerization of isoprene on the catalytic system GdCl3· n(i-C3Н7OH)‒Al(i-C4H9)3 the inverse kinetic task for the scheme of a process with slow initiation has been solved. The task of determining the number of active centers of polymerization was solved by deconvolution of experimental MWDs through superposition of Flory distributions. It has been shown that four types of active centers participate in polymerization, the kinetic difference of which in the process of formation of polymer fractions with their characteristic average molecular weights and the most probable MWD, is associated with their difference in the concentrations of pre-reaction catalytic centers and the rate constants of reactions occurring on them. For each type of active centers, partial conversions of monomer consumption and rate constants of initiation, chain propagation, and chain transfer to the monomer are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on numerical simulation within the framework of a two-dimensional axisymmetric problem of continuum mechanics, an analysis has been made of penetration into a semi-infinite barrier by dummy strikers with diameters of 14 and 18 mm and an initial velocity of 1200 m/s with and without account for the effects of the detachable sabot used for accelerating the dummies in the barrel of a ballistic installation. In simulating the penetration by dummy strikers in a sabot, a reduction was registered in the depth of penetration by a little over 10% with increase in the maximum overload compared to the case of penetration in the absence of a sabot. A cause has been identified for the sabot′s negative effects on dummy strikers′ penetration, lying in an increase of tangential stresses acting on the surface of the dummies′ contact with the adjacent layer of loosened concrete due to precompression of this layer by the sabot until the sabot′s complete detachment from the dummy striker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic structure of the reed vole (Alexandromys fortis (Büchner 1889)) from the northern periphery of its distribution area was studied using the variability of the mtDNA control region. A high haplotype and nucleotide diversity has been shown in the northern part of the species range. The diversity is due to the presence of two lineages that form phylogenetic subclades within the NORTH lineage on dendrograms. The MAIN haplotypes have a wide geographic distribution. Basically, the distribution of the ISL haplotypes is confined to the islands of the Rimsky-Korsakov Archipelago (Bolshoy Pelis and Matveev) in the Sea of Japan and in the Barguzin Depression in Buryatia. They are also found in mainland populations, albeit with low frequencies, only in the south of the Russian Far East. The ISL haplotypes are noted to be close to those previously identified based on fossil material from cave deposits in the south of Primorsky Krai. Several alternative hypotheses concerning the ways of the formation of such a phylogeographic structure are considered. Small areas with local favorable environmental features are suggested to have persisted at the northern periphery of the reed vole distribution, where the species could have survived the Pleistocene and retained the ISL haplotypes that might have appeared earlier than the MAIN haplotypes. Those local areas can be considered as microrefugia, which could have played important roles in maintaining the high genetic diversity of the species in the southern part of the Russian Far East. Secondary colonization events by individuals with the MAIN haplotypes could have occurred already after the completion of the climatic minimum and the wide expansion of the species to the north from a southern macrorefugium. The existence of two macrorefugia, in which two subclades, MAIN and ISL, were formed, followed by random fixations of rarer ISL haplotypes in small isolated populations, is also hypothesized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small isolated population of the snow sheep (Ovis nivicola Eschscholtz 1829) inhabits the Kodar Mountain Ridge in Transbaikalia; it has been listed in the Red Data Book of Russia since 2020. The Kodar Mountain Ridge is the southwesternmost part of the modern distribution range of the snow sheep. This study is aimed at revealing the modern population structure of snow sheep in the Kodar Ridge using camera traps for the monitoring of two subpopulations as an example. We collected photo and video material in July–September 2019 and July–September 2020, when the animals were sedentary on summer pastures. The average group size in summer was low: 2.4–3.5 for females with young and 1.1–1.8 for males. In summer, the maximum group size was six for males or eight for females with young. Adult males and females with juveniles were slightly separated spatially in summer, but the habitats of both overlap, or the distances between them do not exceed several kilometers. It has been shown that the Kodar snow sheep are characterized by high female fertility: the number of lambs is close to the number of adult females. In total, in all areas, the proportion of adult females amounted to about 30%, and was the same for lambs (30%), 15% for yearlings, and 26% for males (including 6% for sheep six years old or older). The low proportion of old males and some traces of hunting indicated that, at least until recently, the population had experienced certain poaching pressure. Because the study area on the left bank of Sredniy Sakukan River included important summer habitats of the snow sheep, it can be proposed for inclusion in the protected area of Kodar National Park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic resistance to anticoagulants caused by mutations in the Vkorc1 gene of the most invasive rodent species—Norway rats and house mice, has not been studied in Russia. We analyzed the variability of the Vkorc1 gene in house mice and Norway rats in various settlements of Russia, and identified mutations responsible for resistance to rodenticides. Two exons of the Vkorc1 gene were analyzed in 71 Norway rats from four cities (Moscow, Tyumen, Chita, Rostov-on-Don) and 108 house mice from cities and small settlements (Moscow region, Tormosin, Nizhny Tsasuchei). Three Norway rats (15.8% of the studied individuals) in Moscow have a heterozygous state the Tyr139Ser mutation, which is responsible for resistance. House mice were not found to have mutations in the Vkorc1 gene responsible for resistance to anticoagulants of the first and second generation in the Leu128Ser and Tyr139Cys positions located in the third exon. However, in cities in the first exon, we identified two heterozygous mutations have not be described previously in the scientific literature: Lys58Arg and Ser31Trp. In Russia, the genetic resistance to rodenticides in settlements in the populations of house mice and Norway rats is significantly lower than in Western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials on the new findings of the striped field mouse ( Apodemus agrarius) in Transbaikalia, within an earlier disjunction area in the habitat of this species (in the basins of the Onon and Ingoda rivers), are presented. Possible causes of the expansion of the species range are discussed. It is most probable that the species was introduced from the basin of the Argun River with a cargo of agricultural products to the lower reaches of the Onon River or the upper reaches of the Shilka River. Currently, the striped field mouse is a common species inhabiting a floodplain shrub biotope in the lower reaches of the Ingoda and Onon rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground blast-furnace slag is one of the waste products available in Ukraine and other countries. It is obtained at metallurgical enterprises in huge quantities and can be efficiently used for concrete production. The article is devoted to obtaining experimental-statistical models of the influence of technological factors that determine the composition of self-compacting concrete (SCC) based on ground blast-furnace slag and polycarboxylate superplasticizer on compressive strength, tensile strength, prismatic strength, elastic modulus and crack resistance. Analysis of the investigated factors' influence on the specified SCC properties is carried out and positive influence of blast-furnace slag and superplasticizer simultaneous action on durability and deformation characteristics is studied. A design method of SCC composition design using the obtained mathematical models is developed. It allows for the consideration of a set of necessary parameters simultaneously. A numerical example is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of the development of heat-resistant concrete compositions based on technogenic raw materials are presented for assembling the shoulders of aluminum electrolyzers. It is been established that use of refractory filler based on the "ideal" screening curve provides concrete preparation with high quality parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses mechanisms of interaction between particles and the aggregate stability of suspensions as matrix systems of CFRC from the standpoint of dispersed system colloid chemistry. When considering sedimentation stability it is shown that a significant increase or achievement of complete sedimentation stability is achieved by a high suspension concentration, increased polydispersion, and also by stabilization. Criteria for evaluating the efficiency of using deflocculants in CFRC technology are proposed and a comparative assessment of their diluting effect as applied to bauxite HCBS is provided. A significant advantage is noted for deflocculants of composite (organomineral) composition compared with traditional materials. The stabilizing effect using very fine quartz glass in the production of HCBS based on bauxite and corundum is demonstrated. The effect of drying materials based on HCBS on structure formation is specified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents effective ways to increase activity of slag Portland cement with a clinker content of 5-19%. The influence of complex sulfate-fluoride and sulfate-fluoride-alkaline activation is studied. The results obtained at the first stage of the research are used for investigating properties of concrete produced using the above mentioned low clinker slag Portland cement with a clinker content of less than 20%. The influence of different plasticizing additives and heat treatment on the strength characteristics of concrete has been determined. A method for design of concrete compositions using low clinker slag Portland cement is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field studies on the distribution and population size of tarbagan (Mongolian marmot) were carried out in 2010–2017 in districts of Zabaikal'skii krai bordering Mongolia and China. The study area constitutes parts of federal-level, strictly protected areas: Daursky State Nature Biosphere Reserve and Dzeren Valley Federal Nature Refuge. It is shown that the tarbagan population in the study area has reached more than 2000 families by 2017. The most active population restoration is observed in habitats historically characterized by the maximum tarbagan population: the Nerchinskii Ridge near the Mongolian border. Engineering structures at the border and the special frontier regime contributed to the preservation of the original marmot settlements. Marmot migration from Mongolia no longer plays an important role in the maintenance of frontier marmot populations in the studied section of the Russian–Mongolian border. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population and number dynamics of small mammals in the vicinity of the Torey lakes (Southeast Transbaikalia, Russia) were characterized between 2008 and 2017. The monitoring was carried out against the backdrop of the complete drying out of these largest lakes in the region. The stability of the fauna of small mammals was revealed over an 80-year period, although the structure of communities has changed significantly as a result of changes in moistening of the territory. Xerophilous species of mammals had an advantage in the period of studies in the dry climate phase. Correlation analysis showed a possible link between the population dynamics of some common species of small mammals with the precipitation amount of the current and previous years or with the precipitation amount of some spring (in one case, winter) months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The basic features of purification of the butylene-butadiene fraction for the removal of acetylene hydrocarbons by catalytic hydrogenation in industrial reactors have been studied. It has been shown that the use of gas distributor nozzles to deliver hydrogen with a flux spread of no more than 10% makes it possible to reduce butadiene losses to 1.2 wt % and to decrease the hydrogen/(acetylene hydrocarbons) molar ratio from 6.8 to 3.8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposed survey is devoted to the analysis and synthesis of the results of investigations of the deformation and fracture of fiber-reinforced concretes. We present a survey of the following aspects of this problem: development and application of fiber-concrete technologies, basic parameters of the structure of fiber concretes and specific features of their deformation and fracture, and the methods for the evaluation of their strength and durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews published data on the main types of adaptation of humans to cold and the mechanisms increasing heat production. Studies in recent years addressing the molecular mechanisms of adaptation to cold are shown to confirm results from earlier physiological investigations demonstrating that the main contribution to adaptive thermogenesis on cooling is provided by oxidative fibers in skeletal muscle (birds, marsupials, large placental mammals, and humans) and brown fat (small placental mammals, particularly rodents). The main increase in heat production occurs as a result of contractile activity (shivering and thermoregulatory muscle tone), uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation, and decreases in the efficiency (energy conversion efficiency, ECE) of cellular pumps (ATPases), which is induced by noradrenaline and thyroid hormones and is accompanied by increases in the consumption of oxygen and energy substrates. Prolonged cold adaptation leads to increases in the number and activity of mitochondria to provide for increasing levels of ATP consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The features, population characteristics of reproduction, nutrition, and lifestyle of an extremely poorly studied narrow-range species of underground rodents--the false zokor (Myospalax aspalax)--have been described on the basis of original field materials. The data were obtained within the Russian part of the species range in Zabaikal'skii krai. The false zokor is characterized by a pronounced sexual dimorphism in body size (males are larger) and a predominance of females in the population. Mating takes place in April; at other times of the year, zokors lead a solitary lifestyle. The size of the brood is small: 3.7 embryos per breeding female. Their preferred food is bulbs and rhizomes of Allium, Thermopsis, Phragmites, and Leymus. In Eastern Transbaikalia, they are active in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physicochemical and mineralogical analysis of metallurgical slag wastes in the Volgograd Region allowed determining the possibility of their use in cement concretes. The presence of latent activity of waste slags from steel smelters (the city of Volgograd) allowed recommending them as a cement binder modifier. At 30 % filling of concrete samples with slag their compressive strength index increased by 10 %, and the bending strength increased by 15 %. The additional grinding of slag with the minimum hydraulic activity from Volzhsky Pipe Plant (VPP) allowed obtaining highly filled compositions when the slag was introduced into fine-grain concretes. The optimum distribution of slag particles in the structure of a concrete composition with 1:1 ratio of cement to slag micro-filler is obtained through the use of two-frequency vibratory compaction. The incremental value of strength properties of a filled composition at the age of 28 to 180 days amounted to 15 % for compression strength and 20 % for bending strength. The occurrence of 70 - 75 % of silicon oxide in the slag from ferrous-alloys manufacturing at Kamyshin Plant for Ferrous-alloys and Casting (KPFC) allows the given material to be characterized as a silica-containing additive which has a large specific surface area after grinding, in combination with amorphous structure of silicon oxide particles. At the amount of 25% of silica-containing slag additive in the "cement+slag" system, the composition strength increases by 30% on average, with an effective reduction in the concrete cost by 25 % on average. Slug wastes provides raw material for concerete industry and decreases environmental contamination. It can be used for the wide range of plants not only described as an example in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calibration of diagnostics system sensors for vehicles, based on using the method of weighted uniform approximation of inverse transformation functions, is considered. This method is compared with the uniform approximation method on the basis of experimental data. Application of the proposed method of calibrating diagnostics system sensors for vehicular transport makes it possible to solve problems of forecasting the residual operating life of vehicle subassemblies without use of high-precision sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amathematical model of the movement of moisture in refractory water-sealed materials of different densities where there is an external temperature field present is constructed. The Fourier thermal conductivity equations, Fick's diffusion equation, and the method of finite elements are used to solve the problem. The diffusion coefficients of water in the test materials are determined by means of laboratory tests from the loss of mass in the course of drying of the samples. Features typical of the movement of moisture in refractory concrete for the case of deposition on cold and hot surfaces are determined as a result of a subsequent computational experiment, using as examples the casting bottom of a casting ladle and guniting of an intermediate ladle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the diversity of six microsatellite loci and partial RAG1 exon of 'barabensis' and 'pseudogriseus' karyoforms in Cricetulus barabensis sensu lato species complex. A total of 435 specimens from 68 localities ranging from Altai to the Far East are investigated. The results of the population structure analysis (factor analysis and NJ tree based on Nei genetic distances) support subdivision into two well-differentiated clusters corresponding to the two karyoforms. These karyoforms are also well differentiated by the level of microsatellite variability. In several 'barabensis' specimens, we found microsatellite alleles that are common in 'pseudogriseus' populations but are otherwise absent in 'barabensis.' Most of these specimens originate from a single population in one of the zones of potential contact between karyoforms, Kharkhorin in Central Mongolia. These molecular results are consistent with previously published karyological data in suggesting that rare hybridization events between the two chromosomal races occur in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mathematical model of diffusion of calcium hydroxide in the system concrete barrier-ambient environment was developed to determine the influence of corrosion processes of the first and second kinds, engendered by water and radionuclides, on the lifetime of a concrete barrier of a decommissioned commercial uranium-graphite reactor. The CaOH distribution over the thickness of the barrier in a single crack was determined. Calculations were performed to determine the CaOH concentration over the barrier thickness and to analyze the effect of corrosion and the use of S-3 superplasticizer in concrete on the lifetime of the barrier. The superplasticizer can extend the operating lifetime of the concrete barrier to 800 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent study on Lasiopodomys ( Stenocranius) gregalis has revealed four clear mitochondrial lineages with differences exceeding the species level. The most divergent is the clade from south-eastern Transbaikalia. Multilocus (six nuclear genes), morphological (dental characters of m1 and M3) and behavioural (breeding experiments) analyses were conducted to test the hypothesis that L. gregalis is a complex of two cryptic species. All of the applied methods distinguish the independent status of voles from south-eastern Transbaikalia. This clade occupies a portion of the distribution range of the currently valid subspecies L. g. raddei including its terra typica. According to the results of cyt b analysis, the lectotype of L. g. raddei belongs to the Transbaikal clade. We re-establish the species status for the taxon Lasiopodomys raddei including populations from south-eastern Transbaikalia, as a cryptic species of the narrow-headed vole complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a model of deformation and fracture of a composite based on the cement matrix (fiber-reinforced concrete) in tension. The model takes into account the presence of microcracks and pores in the structure of the material and the presence of reinforcing fibers. The computational formulas are proposed for the evaluation of the tensile strength of fiber-reinforced concrete. We analyze the influence of porosity and the volume content of reinforcing fibers on the strength of the composite. The experimental investigations and calculations reveal a noticeable increase in the tensile strength with the volume content of the fibers. The theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of research on the development of a desirability scale for evaluating the competitiveness of wall building materials with glassy protective-decorative coatings obtained by plasma fusing are presented. The relative indices of the properties are used to calculate a complex quality index characterizing the technical level of quality of the glassy protective-decorative coatings studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinetic inhomogeneity of polysite titanium- and neodymium-based catalysts for the industrial production of cis-1,4-polyisoprene significant studied. The titanium- and neodymium-based catalysts are characterized by the presence of two and three types of active sites, respectively. Modification, including hydrodynamic treatment, of the titanium and neodymium catalyst makes it possible to prepare monosite systems with the same kinetic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was demonstrated that in Y-maze individuals of the outdoor species Myodes glareolus and the semi-synanthropic species Microtus levis avoided the urine odor of commensal Mus musculus. On the contrary mice stayed longer in the maze compartment with the odor of voles. The level of avoidance of commensal mice odor was higher than the other strange odors (urine of rabbit or outdoor mouse Mus spicilegus). It is assumed that the sharp smell of commensal mice is an adaptation designed to hold and protect a particular ecological niche against other species of rodents, i.e., human buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is devoted to a comparative analysis of the results of cold adaptation and physical training. The adaptive shifts occurring in the body under the influence of hardening (cold shower 2 times a day 2 min long for 6 weeks) and running training on a treadmill (30 min at 70-80% of individual maximal oxygen consumption, 3 times a week, for 6 weeks) in six subjects were compared. The interval between the two cycles of training was no less than 4 months. The indices recorded during the ramp test and the standard cold exposure test before and after each cycle of trainings were compared. It is shown that the patterns of adaptive shifts in adaptation to factors of various modalities strongly differ. The shifts in the adaptation to physical activities were, in general, more expressed than the shits in the adaptation to regular cold exposure. Individual diversity of adaptive responses suggests the expediency of developing new approaches to the theory of adaptation associated with the study of physiological individuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines aspects of preparing construction materials based on recycled industrial waste products. The goal is to develop recommendations on the use of such materials in civil engineering and road-building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problems of deactivation of iron oxide catalysts in the process of industrial dehydrogenation of methylbutenes to isoprene have been considered. The dependence of deactivation of the catalyst fixed bed on the time on-stream of different sections of the catalyst along the reactor height has been examined. The cause of poor performance of a part of the catalyst bed has been revealed and substantiated. Based of the results of the study, the authors propose an approach to predicting the catalyst performance during a long time on-stream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of using thinning (deflocculating), plastifying, and strengthening additions in HCBS technology, ceramic concretes, and new unmolded refractories, is demonstrated. Quantitative criteria are proposed for evaluating addition efficiency. In the field of preparing the materials in question the practice of using composite (combined) modifying (deflocculating) additions that have a high synergetic effect predominates. They are distinguished by an electrosteric stabilization mechanism. Solutions or powders, used in the preparation of unfired materials, strengthened by a UKhAKS-mechanism (strengthening by chemical activation of contact bonds), are a special group of additions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In designing stationary oil-gas recovery platforms on the continental shelf, the need arises to compute the estimated strength of their support base during seismic events. This paper is devoted to this estimation. The paper examines a structure consisting of the superstructure of an oil-gas platform and its gravity-type base. It is possible to install earthquake-insulating supports between them. Calculations performed for the design earthquake indicated that the design of the gravity base can resist a seismic effect without special additional measures. During the maximum design earthquake, moreover, significant stresses may develop in the zone of base where the columns are connected to the upper slab of the caisson. In that case, the earthquake insulation considered for the top of the platform becomes critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of cementing nuclear power plant bottoms and storing the compound obtained in direct-pour cells is examined. The results of development work on a similar technology for solidifying medium-level liquid wastes from radiochemical production at the Industrial Association Mayak are shown. Experimental results on solidification of nuclear power plant bottoms using the prescriptions developed are presented. The flowability, water separation, and heat emission during solidification of cement solutions as well as the strength and water- and freeze-resistance of the solidified compound are determined. The proposed mix ensures that the cement compound with the solidified, nuclear power plant bottoms meets the technological and normative requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper the author reports literature data and his own on the shrew fauna and communities of the steppe and forest zones of Eastern Transbaikalia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the technology of a number of ceramic and refractory materials, prepared on the basis of highly concentrated ceramic binder suspensions (HCBS), elements of effective nanotechnology were realized even before the present 'nanoboom.' The concept has been formulated of an advance in materials technology based on HCBS both in traditional fields of their application, and in the field of structural materials science, within which for industrial introduction of existing developments it is necessary to create contemporary equipment formulation for production processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of investigations of the influence of an addition of carbon nanomaterials to a cement paste on its properties, the morphological characteristics of the cement-hydration products, and the structure and strength of the concrete obtained on the basis of this paste are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examples of applications of adhesives and sealants based on sulfur as a main component are presented. Prospective applications of sulfur as a cheap and available raw material for adhesives are shown. The basic formulations of sulfuric adhesives and the approximate technology of their production and application are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New types of reinforced-concrete prestressed piles with no transverse reinforcement, which we have developed, are described; these piles can be fabricated by a form-free procedure on long stands. It is demonstrated that these piles possess the required strength and resistance, high crack resistance, and lowest cost among similar designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is determined that raw materials from different deposits can be used to produce clinker ceramic. The rational compositions developed for the mixes are adapted to conventional technology for fabricating brick by plastic molding, and after firing they permit obtaining high-quality clinker articles. A model representing the required ratios of the main oxides in the chemical composition of the ceramic for obtaining clinker brick with prescribed properties and at different firing temperatures is constructed on the basis of the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The induced activity of materials based on iron-barium-serpentinite cement stone and the developed iron-magnetite-serpentinite cement stone in the composition of radiation-shielding units of a high-power circuit-type reactor has been calculated, and radiation factors specified by the activation process have been analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The status of nanotechnology is briefly examined. It is noted that a quite large number of existing glass materials contain nanostructures and essentially are nanomaterials (nanocomposites). A classification of the nanostructures observed in glasses is given. The nanolevel structure of certain known glass materials is described, and their properties which are due to the presence of a nanophase are presented. Certain glass-based nanocomposites which are obtained today are identified and certain problems of directed synthesis of nanocomposites with a glassy matrix are elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The paper is devoted to the solidification of radioactive sea-salt concentrates in a modular cementing facility yielding 200-liter cement blocks. The solidified products with Cambrian clay added as a sorption aid satisfy with respect to the mechanical strength and radionuclide leaching the domestic and foreign requirements for safe storage in standard and very simple disposal sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of nonlinear dynamic analysis with application of concrete-strain diagrams has permitted more adequate evaluation of the stress-strain state of a structure subject to seismic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract??Analysis of the behavior of 19 Chinchilla rabbits the first time they were placed in an open field allowed them to be divided into three groups differing in terms of investigative movement activity (passive rabbits accounted for 37%, active for 21%, and intermediate for 42%). On repeat placing in the open field, passive rabbits increased and active rabbits decreased their levels of activity. Correlations were found between the rabbits? behavior in the open field and the nature of their external respiration in the absence of movements in the comfort situation. Passive rabbits, as compared with intermediate and active animals, showed longer respiratory cycles, expirations, and breath holds in expiration. Animals with a predominance of right-hand turns in the open field showed shorter respiratory cycles and expirations than animals with a predominance of left-hand turns. These studies led to the conclusion that the characteristics of external respiration can serve as a predictive factor for the passive-defensive strategy of behavior in rabbits in emotionally negative situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]