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The results of a comparison of the long-term population dynamics of seabirds breeding in the western part of the White Sea on both protected and unprotected islands are presented. A series of observations was conducted for more than 50 years in the Kandalaksha Nature Reserve and for more than 30 years in the Solovetskii Archipelago. The dynamics of the breeding part of the population were analyzed for six species occurring in both study areas. The population trends of the common eider Somateria mollissima, the European herring gull Larus argentatus, and the black guillemot Cepphus grylle, were the same in the two areas, while those of the Eurasian oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, the common gull Larus canus, and the ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres differed. The uniform trends are due to similar natural conditions of the breeding and wintering grounds of the birds in the Solovetskii Archipelago and Kandalaksha Bay. The discrepancies are mostly associated with different protection regimes on the islands used for breeding, as well as with an increased pressure of both terrestrial and avian predators on seabird colonies in recent decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the target operation mode on the chemical composition and crystalline structure of copper oxide films deposited onto a quartz glass substrate has been studied using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray phase analysis. The films have been synthesized in an Ar + O gaseous environment using two identical magnetrons, differing only by the method of target cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicophosphate gels ranging widely in PO content and specific surface area have been synthesized by a sol-gel process. We have demonstrated the possibility of producing medium-temperature high-conductivity systems based on silicophosphate matrices and CsHPO. The thermal, structural, and transport properties of composite proton electrolytes have been investigated. The results indicate that the electrical conductivity of the composites based on matrices with Si : P = 1 : 0.5 increases by up to three and half or four orders of magnitude and that their proton conductivity is ∼10 to 3 × 10 S/cm at temperatures from 90 to 220°C and a water vapor content of ≃0.6-1 mol % in air. The additive suppresses the superionic phase transition of CsHPO. The increase in conductivity at low contents of the heterogeneous component is due to both CsHPO dispersion and the presence of protonated centers on the matrix surface. When the mole fraction of the additive exceeds 0.3, the composites contain CsH(PO), a compound with a lower thermal stability, which is responsible for their high conductivity in a limited temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have demonstrated that silicophosphate matrices with various PO contents can be used to produce medium-temperature highly conductive CsHPO-based composites. The low-temperature conductivity of all the composites studied is higher than that of the salt at low humidity by up to three and half to four orders of magnitude. The phase transition disappears with increasing additive content. The proton conductivity, thermal characteristics, and phase composition of the salt are shown to depend significantly not only on the composition of the composite but also on that of the silicophosphate matrix. The composites with Si : P = 1 : 0.14 contain disordered CsHPO in the range x = 0.1-0.6. Increasing the percentage of the heterogeneous component leads to CsHPO amorphization at x = 0.7 and the formation of the CsH(PO) compound at x = 0.8-0.9. The thermodynamic properties and thermal stability of the composites vary in accordance with this. We have assessed the thermal stability of the electrolytes of various compositions under isothermal conditions at 200-210°C and water vapor content of ≃0.6-1% in air in prolonged tests. The thermal stability of the materials is shown to depend significantly on both the percentage of the salt in the composite and the composition of the matrix. We have determined the optimal thermal and transport characteristics of the composites based on silicophosphate gel with lower phosphorus content. This opens up the possibility of using them as membranes in medium-temperature hydrogen fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructure, transport, and thermal properties of the composites of (1 − x)CsHPO/ xSrZrO ( x = 0.01-0.2) are studied. Introduction of highly dispersed strontium zirconate results in an increase in low-temperature conductivity by 1-3 orders of magnitude as depedent on the composition, leveling, and disappearance of a superionic phase transition in CsHPO. The methods of differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry were used to show that a significant change in thermodynamic properties of CsHPO in composites at x = 0.1-0.2 is observed due to salt amorphization. According to the data of X-ray phase analysis, there is no chemical interaction between the components and no new compounds are formed. An increase in conductivity is caused by salt disordering due to the interphase surface interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physicochemical properties of (1 − x)CsH2PO4/ xSiP y O z ( x = 0.2–0.7) composites containing fine-particle silicon phosphates as heterogeneous additives have been studied at different humidities. The introduction of silicon phosphates suppresses the superionic phase transition of CsH2PO4 and increases the low-temperature conductivity of the materials, which depends significantly on humidity. The CsH2PO4-SiP y O z materials offer high conductivity (∼3 × 10−3 to 10−2 S/cm at ∼110–230°C) at low water vapor pressures (3 mol % H2O). Amorphization of the CsH2PO4 in the composites markedly changes its thermodynamic properties. The effect of long-term isothermal holding (210°C, 3 mol % H2O) on the conductivity of the composites has been studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterns of formation of island butterfly fauna at the northern forest boundary in the region of Valdai inland ice were analyzed by the example of White Sea islands. The ecotone effect, typical for northernmost taiga and forest-tundra and introducing the transitional butterfly fauna in near-tundra forest between the boreal and hypoarctic zones, was not observed on the White Sea islands. Island isolation provided for the absence of some Arctic species, entering near-tundra forest from the North, in the island fauna. Island butterfly faunas represent poor variants of the northern taiga fauna lacking some polyzonal and temperate species and having a reduced set of Arctic boreal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conductivity and thermal behavior of cesium hydrogen sulfate phosphate are studied. New composite proton electrolytes (1 - x)Cs3(HSO4)2(H2PO4)-xSiO2 with a high conductivity in the range 60-200°C are prepared, and their transport properties are studied in a broad composition range (x = 0.3-0.95). Their conductivity exceeds that of CsHSO4-SiO2 composites and depends strongly on composition: it reaches a maximum at x = 0.7 (22 vol % SiO2) and drops at higher silica contents on account of percolation disruption. It is shown by differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray diffraction analysis that the introduction of fine-particle silica stabilizes the high-conductivity, disordered state of the mixed salt on the surface of the silica particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution summarizes the results of a systematic study of the three glycine polymorphs (a, b, g-forms), including: i) the controlled crystallization of a desirable form, ii) a comparative calorimetric study of the three forms in the temperature range between 5 K and the sublimation temperatures (»500 K). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystal structure refinement was performed of the metastable β modification of glycine (space gr. P21, a = 5.092(2) Å, b = 6.273(3) Å, c = 5.384(3)Å, β = 113.17(4)°, Z = 2, R = 0.0274). The crystals were obtained by a new method (not described in the literature): they were precipitated from a water solution with the addition of glacial acetic acid. The crystal structure of the glycine α modification [space gr. P21/n, a =5.106(1) Å, b = 11.979(5) Å, c = 5.463(2) Å, β = 111.75(2)°:, Z =4] was refined for comparison. Transition from the β to the α modification in a damp atmosphere was revealed, resulting in the formation of a strongly strained crystal of a mosaic structure. The orientation of the crystallographic axes in the newly formed crystal of the α modification relative to the axes in the initial crystal of the β modification was determined. It is shown that as in α glycine, the lengths of the intramolecular C—O bonds in the β modification are fairly similar [1.248(2) and 1.253(2) Å] and the previously found significant difference between them is most likely due to the errors of the photomethod. A comparative analysis of the crystal structures of the α and β glycine modifications (glycine zwitterion packings and structure of intermolecular hydrogen bond networks) was performed. Data of the analysis are used to discuss the properties of the glycine modifications, the possible reasons for the stability of the β modification in dry air, the difficulties of crystal growth from solutions, and the ease of crystallization of the α modification under various conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectroscopy has been used to study the influence of partial oxygen pressure during deposition and isothermal treatment on the chemical composition of copper oxide films deposited by reactive dc magnetron sputtering of copper target in a reactive gaseous medium. Three series of films deposited at various partial oxygen pressures (from 0.06 to 0.16 mTorr) possessed different chemical compositions. The subsequent thermal treatment of all samples was performed for 30 min in air at a constant temperature in a 300?500°C interval. An increase in the annealing temperature led to chemical changes in the films. After isothermal treatment at 450°C, the films in all series acquired stoichiometric CuO composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]