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The effect of time aggregation (1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h) of input data on the efficiency and parameter values of the conceptual HBV model was studied based on special field observations, carried out on four small experimental catchments (3.1–26.3 km2) in the basin of the Pravaya Sokolovka R. (Verkhneussuriiskii gage, upper Ussuri R., southern Primorskii Krai) in 2012–2022. It was shown that a decrease in the calculation step leads to a gradual decrease in the simulation quality, calculated with the use of Nash–Sutcliff coefficient. The model demonstrates high efficiency in calculating the hydrographs of high floods for all examined catchment areas, but does not reproduce diurnal variations of water discharges (0.1–1.0 mm layer) during low-water season. The model proportions of runoff genetic components, at which the system gradually passes to the predominance of some genetic component, do not depend on the calculation step and have relatively constant values. At the same time, an increase in the calculation time step also leads to a successive increase of the model water discharges, expressed in mm of layer thickness, by a factor of about 2. The regularities in the variations of the parameters in the block describing the formation and transformation of HBV, as well as maximal measured precipitation totals at changes in the time step for rains ≥30 mm/day can be well approximated by power relationships with exponents 0.3–0.6. It was supposed that for high-intensity rains, the dependence of maximal precipitation amounts on the aggregation time interval can have an effect on the values of parameters of HBV-type models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the Delft3D-Flow hydrodynamic model was used to determine the characteristics of the main tidal waves and currents in Penzhina Bay (Sea of Okhotsk, Russia). The initial and boundary conditions are set according to the TPXO9 model data, and the salinity and water temperature for each model layer are set based on reanalysis data of the HYCOM ocean general circulation model, with a time step of 3 h. The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-5 reanalysis was used as meteoforcing. Modeling was performed for the ice-free period from May to September 2005. Maps of cotidal lines, tidal ellipses, and reversibility coefficients for the main tidal waves were constructed: semidiurnal wave M2 and diurnal wave K1. The model was verified by comparing the published and calculated harmonic components for nine sea level monitoring points located in Penzhina Bay. Conformance evaluation generally shows a high degree of consistency between the model and reference data. The values of the determination coefficient R2 between the series formed by the model and published harmonic components range from 0.96 to 0.99. According to the magnitude of relative errors, the modeling results are divided into two consistency categories: high (1.48–2.14%) and satisfactory (2.93–4.27%). Spatial distribution patterns for the values of relative errors were not found. A certain inconsistency in the results is presumably due to the time discretization of the observation time support and the short sea level monitoring data series used to calculate the published harmonic components for Penzhina Bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of runoff simulation, the values of parameters, and the dynamics of the estimated runoff components were analyzed for two conceptual hydrological models GR4J and HBV for 17 watersheds in the Upper Ussuri River (Primorsky Krai, Russia) with areas from 138 to 24 400 km2. Both models demonstrate an increase in the simulation efficiency (based on NSE criterion) with an increase in the catchment area up to 1–2 thousand km2, after which they stabilize within the interval of 0.75–0.85 for the calibration period and 0.70–0.80 for the verification period. The estimates obtained for the HBV model were 5–10% higher than those for the GR4J model. Analysis of the measured and calculated annual runoff maximums over the warm season suggests the conclusion that GR4J model is on the average 5–6% more efficient than the HBV model in calculating the maximal values of rain flood discharges. At the same time, the obtained values of the relative error BIAS demonstrate a more accurate reproduction of the annual average runoff by the HBV model. The main distinctions determining the efficiency of simulation in the study region are as follows: the method of considering the precipitation height increments within altitude belts, the specific features of the calculation of model evapotranspiration, the method for calculating the outflow from conceptual runoff-forming storages in the GR4J and HBV models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-Soviet young people are said to be "scornful of ordinary, diligent labor, greedy for easy wealth, and massively antipatriotic." Social scientist A. S. Panarin observes that the demoralization and disorientation of the younger generation are not subject to doubt. Proceeding on the assumption that having a trusting and frank dialogue with post-Soviet college students can help to gain a better understanding of the mentality of the heirs and future masters of the national culture of Russia, this author initiated and carried out a sociological survey in the higher educational institutions of St. Petersburg from 2000 to 2004. A variety of sociological methods were used: from mass and group surveys to written interviews, daily journals, thought experiments, and brainstorming. The survey included students enrolled in the University of Culture and Art (a state-run institution) and the Trade Unions University of the Humanities (a nonstate institution of higher learning). More than 1,500 people were surveyed. The findings of the survey reveals that some of the reproaches against the young Russian people such as "having primitive consumerist mentality," "tendency to worship foreign idols," and "massively unpatriotic" are valid but not to the intellectual elite of college students. This study confirms that the sinking of the Russian youth into degradation is far from happening as there was an increase of intellectually and intelligenty, two differently oriented ethical elite groups, among college students.

This article discusses the distinguishing traits and features of college humanities majors in post-Soviet Russia. It, presents the social-pedagogical surveys that the author conducted in various institutions of higher learning in St. Petersburg, using a variety of sociological methods: from mass and group surveys to interviews, the keeping of journals, thought experiments, and brainstorming. Among other things, the author clarifies the differences between the "intelligent" and "intellectual" among post-Soviet college students.

In modern economic infrastructure, Al cables of overhead power transmission lines are used both without and with a steel core (respectively, all aluminum alloy conductor (AAAC) and aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) cables). In this article, the changes in structural, microstructural, and elastic-microplastic properties have been analyzed for the outer wires of the AAAC (A50) and ACSR cables (AC50/8 cables with a steel core of ~8 mm2 cross-section, hereinafter referred to as AC50) with the cross-section of the stranded conductor of ~50 mm2, which were in operation for 0–20 years in the Volgograd region of Russia. Using the techniques of X-ray diffraction, electron backscattered diffraction, densitometry, and the acoustic method, the structural and microstructural features of the wires have been compared and found to be correlated with their elastic-microplastic properties. It has been ascertained that the presence of a steel core in AC50 leads to a decrease in the defectiveness of the near-surface layer of their aluminum wires. Compared with A50 cables, the development of void defects in the near-surface layer of Al-wires of AC50 cables slows down (by ~1 year with a service life of ~10 years and by ~3 years with a service life of ~20 years). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Delft3D Flow model was applied to simulation of the hydrodynamic regime of Voevoda Bay (the southern Primorye, Russky Island, Peter the Great Bay, Russia). The streamflow and distributed inflow from the territories adjacent to the bay was simulated using the SWAT hydrological model. The simulation results were compared with published recommendations on the technology of the off-bottom and bottom culture of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and yesso scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) and with the distribution of benthic organisms in the bay. The lines of equal probability exceedance of optimal environment conditions for bivalves were used to identify the culture zones and boundaries: for bottom culture, in the near-bottom water layer, for off-bottom culture, in the middle water layer. Zones of bottom culture were limited by 1-m isobaths, for off-bottom culture, by 5-m isobaths. The areas optimal for marine aquaculture were outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors identified the main problems of the implementation of All-Russian physical training and sports program "Ready to Labor and Defense" among universities students of Nizhny Novgorod region. These problems largely intersect with problems in other Regions of the Russian Federation. The article describes particular problems peculiar to Nizhny Novgorod region. The reviewed sources of scientific literature on the problem of introducing the modern physical training and sports program "Ready to Labor and Defense" among university students do not point to the difficulty of obtaining a medical certificate for the implementation of this program. During studying in 2016 and 2018, more than 500 judges, administrators and heads of testing centers in Nizhny Novgorod region, in the panel discussion, this was one of the main problems that could not be resolved. The perspective of solving the problem of coordinating medical admission is possible with the agreement of the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Health of Nizhny Novgorod Region. Thus, to improve the implementation of the modern physical training and sports program "Ready to Labor and Defense" among students of higher educational institutions of Nizhny Novgorod region, it is necessary to solve the most important problems of medical admission, increasing sports competitions aimed at familiarizing with this program and coordinating sports structural organizations on agitation and introducing the modern complex among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes transformations of the mountain village society of Karata, in the republic of Daghestan, in Russia's North Caucasus. In the Soviet period organized into a collective farm from a kin-group oriented Islamic community, by the post-Soviet period its Andi-language people were split among the mountain village, the capital of Daghestan Makhachkala, flatland villages on the Daghestani plain, other cities of the Russian Federation, and the near and far abroad. This analysis focuses on changes in the social, religious, and political organization of Karata in the course of the three generations, from those born in the 1940s in the mountains to those born in the 1980s-90s who grew up in cities. This change of generations is accompanied by the replacement of a Karata identity with an Islamic one-for the younger generation of Karata people, the so-called second, urban generation, the global Islamic agenda, including jihad in Syria, is closer than the village concerns of Karata people born in the 1960s and 1970s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aleksey Navalny launched crowdfunding in Russia as a way to fund opposition activities. This article provides short analyses of this technique, examining case studies of Navalny's RosPil project, Boris Nemtsov's pamphlets about President Vladimir Putin, Moscow's 2011 protest demonstrations, the Moscow Helsinki Group, Pussy Riot and local electoral campaigns. Even as the Kremlin steps up measures to control the Internet, crowdfunding is a useful tool for raising money to support civil society and opposition activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of the government's role in developing the defense-industrial complex is very significant in connection with the specifics of the latter, which develops and produces armaments and military equipment. Consequently, government intervention in defense firm activities is to be expected. However, the results of this intervention seem mixed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the general characteristics and condition of ilmenite and rutile ore mining and titanium sponge and titanium metal production in Russia and the world in the 1990s and 2000s. A range of problems facing the domestic titanium industry is outlined. The Russian defense sector's needs for titanium metal and their potential to be met by the domestic titanium industry are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the authors' opinion on the importance of military infrastructure in increasing the efficiency of missile armament. In their opinion, infrastructure is divided into military, civil and dual-capable ones. They state that the quality of organization of military infrastructure determines the efficiency of the use of military power. They remark that military infrastructure development in Russia gets affected by insufficient military budget and inadequate technologies.

Cumulus olivine, clinopyroxene, melilite and perovskite from silicate rocks and carbonatites of the Gardiner (East Greenland) and Kovdor (Kola Peninsula) ultramafic alkaline complexes contain primary melt inclusions crystallized into aggregates of daughter minerals. The petrography and homogenization temperatures of the inclusions constrain the fractionation paths and the formation of carbonatites in the complexes. Carbonated melanephelinite was parental to both complexes and early cumulates (dunite, olivinite, peridotite and melteigite) are comparable. The common occurrence of phlogopite and amphibole in the inclusions and in the host rocks indicates that these were important liquidus phases. In both complexes the fractionation of phlogopite and amphibole drove the melts towards Ca-rich (larnite-normative) compositions. At the ijolite stage the evolutionary trends are believed to separate and the evolved larnite-normative melt produced calcite-bearing ijolite in Kovdor and melilitolite in Gardiner. The two assemblages are related by decarbonation reactions. A fractional crystallization origin is suggested for the Kovdor carbonatite, whereas the Gardiner carbonatite formed by liquid immiscibility in the course of melilite fractionation. Na–K–Ca and Na–Mg carbonates are common daughter phases and especially abundant in late-stage inclusions. Thus, all carbonatite melts in the two complexes are alkaline. Calcite carbonatites appear to be cumulates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current trends in the development of biofeedback hardware are considered. At present, computer-based systems hold the leading positions on the market of biofeedback devices. Development of computer technologies affects the design of biofeedback hardware. One of the trends in the evolution of biofeedback devices is the simplification of electronic circuitry, while an increasing role in the signal processing is allocated to a computer. Modern wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth and ZigBee, hold much promise for the development of biofeedback hardware.

The distribution of radioactive contamination at three island sites downstream from the Krasnoyarsk Mining and Chemical Combine (KMCC) was studied with the objectives of mapping contamination levels, interpreting radionuclide distributions through consideration of alluvial processes and determining radionuclide inventories. Contamination was measured using in situ gamma spectrometry and landforms characterised using topographic surveying methods. Maximum (137)Cs contamination densities (700 kBq m(-2)) were found on low- and middle-level floodplains and low-lying interconnecting areas of Beriozovy Island (16 km from the KMCC). On Mikhin Island (180 km from the KMCC) maximum total (60)Co, (152)Eu and (154)Eu activity concentrations (30-40 kBq m(-2)) occur in low-lying areas inundated during flooding. Maximum (137)Cs and total (60)Co, (152)Eu and (154)Eu contamination densities on Cheriomukhov Island (250 km from the KMCC) were 390 and 50 kBq m(-2), respectively. Estimated (137)Cs inventories were 145, 148 and 16GBq for Beriozovy, Mikhin and Cheriomukhov Islands, respectively.

236 patients with nonseminomatous germ cell tumors have been treated for the last decade with VAB-6 combination and 188 ones with etoposide-containing regimens BEP and EP. Complete remissions were achieved in 97(41%) VAB-6 treated patients, 72(31%) patients were currently alive without evidence of the disease for 76 months of follow-up. Patients on BEP-EP presented better outcomes: 130(69%) of 188 patients achieved a complete remission and 119(63%) of them were free of symptoms within 47 months of follow-up. In spite of more pronounced toxicity, mainly myelosuppression, etoposide-containing combinations are more efficient than VAB-6 and should be considered as an induction chemotherapy in patients with nonseminomatous germ cell tumors.

The treatment of testicular cancer has undergone considerable evolution since the introduction of cisplatin and widespread recognition of its curative potentials at any stages of disease. This article provides an overview on statistical and epidemiological information, the latest developments in testicular cancer biology. Also, the results of treating 360 patients with nonseminomatous and 97 patients with seminomatous germ cell tumors are presented. A combined chemotherapy with cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin demonstrates the highest rate of activity in nonseminomatous germ cell tumor patients. Surgical resection of residual masses after chemotherapy continues to be an important component of combined modality therapy in nonseminomatous testicular tumors. The needs for regular clinical examination during a follow-up have been underlined.