Search

The article examines a wide range of the problems associated with the boundless enlargement of the European Union which makes it possible to place the Balkans in the context of general European development. To become a member of the EU is the important goal of the post-socialist countries of the Balkans/South-Eastern Europe. Bulgaria, Romania, and the post-Yugoslavian states of Slovenia and Croatia became full members of the EU. Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania are still at different stages of integration into the European community. This accession is the logical completion of the processes of social, political, economic and legal transformation of the Balkan countries, in which they themselves and the European Union as a whole and its individual member states are interested for reasons of geopolitics and geoeconomics. However, the accession to Europe (or the return to Europe) of the Balkan states with their authoritarian and socialist past includes not only the reform of the economic, political and legal systems, but also a change in value orientations. While in the states of the so-called «founding fathers» of the EU a Western European corporate civic identity is being formed, in the countries of the former Eastern Europe and the Balkan region, ethnic identity remains remains largely in the mainstream of public consciousness. The author examines axiological, ideological and psychological aspects of the accession of post-socialist countries to the EU, and also analyzes specific foreign policy problems associated with this process and the role of regional international organizations in the «europeanization» of the Balkans and in the settlement of ethnic and interstate conflicts in the region that still remain acute. Negative tendencies, first of all - the strengthening of populist sentiments and the coming to power of politicians reflecting these sentiments, pose challenges and threats not only to the European Union, but also to Russia.

Ceramsite (expanded clay) dust is a waste material, obtained in large volumes all over the world as a by-product of ceramsite gravel production. With the development of the construction industry and the ever-growing amount of ceramsite dust disposed in the landfills, the recycling and rational use of this material is becoming a relevant issue. The currently available technologies for the ceramsite waste recycling are very limited, this is why it is necessary to develop a new effective way to involve this waste into the new production. The present research is based on the assumption that ceramsite dust can be applied effectively as an active pozzolanic mineral additive in the cement-based materials. In order to study the composition, structure and properties of the original clay used for the production of ceramsite, as well as the dehydrated clay dust, captured in the dust removing systems of kilns at ceramsite gravel plants, physical and chemical analysis methods were used. Based on the experimental data, the influence of ceramsite dust on the structure and properties of cement compositions was evaluated. Mechanical tests of the samples showed that the introduction of ceramsite dust as an additive in the amount of 3% by the cement weight leads to an increase in compressive strength by 23% in comparison with the reference composition. The paper also presents the results of microstructural analysis, IR spectral analysis and differential thermal analysis of samples modified with the optimal amount of this microadditive. The study of the microstructure of the modified samples shows that the introduction of ceramsite dust into the composition of the cement stone does not only change the morphology of new formations, thus increasing the density of the structure, but also varies the mineralogical composition of the cement matrix with the formation of stronger and more water-resistant minerals in the form of calcium silicate hydrates and calcium aluminosilicate hydrates. This technology allows the recycling of waste from the production of ceramsite stone, thus improving the environmental situation and contributing to the creation of a circular economy.

The expansion of international S&T cooperation is one of the prerequisites for achieving the ambitious goals of innovation development facing the Russian Federation. The significance of international cooperation in science and technology has increased in the context of globalization of science and the integration processes taking place within the European Union. Bibliometric analysis of joint publications of scientists from Russia and EU countries allows to assess current state and trends of cooperation, to identify areas of research with close relationships between the Russian and European scientists, to determine the perspectives and priorities for joint S&T activities. Note: Downloadable document is in Russian.

Fibrillation in the heart often consists of multiple spiral waves of electrical activation in cardiac tissue. To terminate these multiple waves, recently proposed Low Energy Antifibrillation Pacing (LEAP) uses a series of low energy pulses. This achieves an energy reduction of about 80% in animal experiments. To understand the mechanism of LEAP we study the interaction of electric pulses with pinned spiral waves in monolayers of cardiac cells. Optical mapping and controlled placing of heterogeneities allow us to observe the activation dynamics in these monolayers during field pulsing. We show that a pinned wave can be terminated by a series of pulses when one of the pulses falls in the vulnerable window of the pinned spiral.