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Transfer functions for reconstruction of the duration of ice-free period at stations in the Chukchi, East Siberian and Laptev seas have been developed by comparison of hydrometeorological data and the chemical composition of bottom sediments accumulated during observation period. It has been established that in addition to the previously discussed processes through which the ice cover affects the chemical composition of bottom sediments (primary bioproductivity and redox conditions of bottom waters), there are several mainly local processes developed on the East Siberian shelf. These are the changes of terrestrial aqueous and solid runoff; coastal abrasion rate; current structure and water exchange through the Bering Strait between the Pacific and Arctic oceans; and intensity and direction of the ice/iceberg rafting of sediments. It is shown that some typical elements (Br, Ca, As, Fe, Ga) can be used as universal geochemical proxies for qualitative reconstruction of ice conditions.

The estimates of statistical indicators of the state and variability of the ice cover characteristics (ice concentration, ice stage of development) of the Bering Sea obtained from digital imagery are presented using available information on ice conditions for the period of 1960–2016. The distributions of average long-term values of the fields of ice concentration and stage of development for the period from 1960 to 2016 are obtained and considered, their spatial-temporal variability is analyzed. The estimates can be used in the analysis of changes in the hydrometeorological regime of the region, in problems of modeling the state of the ice cover, as well as in solving practical issues of economic development of the Bering Sea.

The first description of well-preserved fur of one male and one female cubs of the fossil cave lion Panthera spelaea (finds of 2017-2018, Semyuelyakh River, Yakutia, Russia) is presented in comparison with the fur of two cubs (a male and a female) of the extant African lion P. leo and adult lions of both species: the color, differentiation, configuration, microstructure, and internal design of hair of different categories are considered. The coat of the cave lion is similar but not identical to that of the African lion, because it contains a high thick undercoat of spiral-shaped thick and airy down hair. This difference is most pronounced in the cave lion cubs, in which, however, the fur is not differentiated to the same extent as in the adult. The microstructure of hair is species-specific and subject to intraspecific age-related variability. Adaptive features of the hair structure in the cave lion are noted.

The seasonal and long-term variability of sea ice concentration in the Chukchi Sea in 1997–2016 was analyzed using all available satellite data on sea ice conditions. It is shown that the zone of maximum variability is situated in the areas with the ice concentration equal to (4–6)/10 and follows the displacements of this area: it moves to the north in the first half of the warm season (June–November) and moves back to the south in the second half of the period. The analysis of spectral components for the first three empirical orthogonal functions of sea ice concentration revealed quasiperiodic components with the periods of about 2–4 and 6–8 years.

International audience; A preliminary description is presented of the well-preserved frozen mummies of two cubs of the extinct cave lion Panthera spelaea (finds of 2017–2018, Semyuelyakh River, Yakutia, eastern Siberia, Russia). The fossil lion cubs were found in close proximity, but they do not belong to the same litter, since their radiocarbon ages differ: the female (named ‘Sparta’) was dated to 27,962 ± 109 uncal years BP, and the male (named ‘Boris’) was dated to 43,448 ± 389 uncal years BP. The lion cubs have similar individual ages, 1–2 months. The general tone of the colour of the fur coat of Sparta is greyish to light brown, whereas, in Boris, the fur is generally lighter, greyish yellowish. It is, therefore, possible that light colouration prevailed with age in cave lions and was adaptive for northern snow-covered landscapes. The article discusses the results of computed tomography of cubs of the cave lion, the possible reasons for their death, and the peculiarities of their existence in the Siberian Arctic.

Various aspects of seasonal and interannual variability of the sea ice cover are estimated on the basis of all available the Bering Sea ice data from 1960 to 2017. The possibility of long-term and superlong-term modeling of the ice cover is investigated. Results of tests are given, and a conclusion about prospects of the proposed model and an opportunity of its practical application is done.

Various aspects of the seasonal and interannual variability of the sea ice cover are estimated based on all available Bering Sea ice data from 1960 to 2017. The possibility of long-term and super-long-term modeling of the ice cover is investigated. Test results are given, and a conclusion is drawn on the prospects of the proposed model and possibility of its practical application.

The cave lion is an extinct felid that was widespread across the Holarctic throughout the Late Pleistocene. Its closest extant relative is the lion (Panthera leo), but the timing of the divergence between these two taxa, as well as their taxonomic ranking are contentious. In this study we analyse 31 mitochondrial genome sequences from cave lion individuals that, through a combination of 14C and genetic tip dating, are estimated to be from dates extending well into the mid-Pleistocene. We identified two deeply diverged and well-supported reciprocally monophyletic mitogenome clades in the cave lion, and an additional third distinct lineage represented by a single individual. One of these clades was restricted to Beringia while the other was prevalent across western Eurasia. These observed clade distributions are in line with previous observations that Beringian and European cave lions were morphologically distinct. The divergence dates for these lineages are estimated to be far older than those between extant lions subspecies. By combining our radiocarbon tip-dates with a split time prior that takes into account the most up-to-date fossil stem calibrations, we estimated the mitochondrial DNA divergence between cave lions and lions to be 1.85 Million ya (95% 0.52– 2.91 Mya). Taken together, these results support previous hypotheses that cave lions existed as at least two subspecies during the Pleistocene, and that lions and cave lions were distinct species.

The features of sea ice drift in the Sea ofOkhotsk are studied using Terra and Aqua satellite MODIS spectroradiometer data. The spatial heterogeneity of sea ice drift in the areas of hydrocarbon fields on the Magadan and Sakhalin shelves is analyzed.

For the first time, the reconstruction of variations in the duration over several hundred years was conducted on the basis of models developed by comparing hydrometeorological observations and detailed scanning of the chemical composition of bottom sediments accumulated during the corresponding period. The gauge models for the reconstruction of air temperature and ice cover of the water area for three sites in the northern part of the Chukchi Sea have been developed. During the reconstruction, an insignificant increase in the duration of the ice-free period during the Little Ice Age was established, which does not coincide with the changes in the temperature regime that took place. It is concluded that the dynamics of the inflow of warm Pacific waters through the Bering Strait had the predominant influence on the ice regime of the Chukchi Sea.

The sedimentary cores from the southern and northern parts of the Chukchi Sea illustrate the influence of climate and environmental conditions on the chemical composition of bottom sediments accumulated at present and in the recent 500 years. The low concentration of biogenic (Ca, Br, Sr) and some redox-sensitive (Fe, Mn, Zn) elements is typical of the recent sediments accumulated in the areas with permanent ice cover and of the sediments accumulated during cold periods (Little Ice Age and especially the Maunder Minimum). The possibility is revealed of identifying cyclic changes in environmental conditions including sea ice extent in the concrete Arctic areas. This may be used to detail the regional forecast of future changes.

На основе анализа архива спутниковых мультисенсорных данных исследована динамика ледяного покрова в области ВосточноКамчатского течения. При развитом зимнем муссоне плавучий лёд смещается вдоль побережья Камчатки на юг, трассируя разномасштабные вихри, которые возникают при взаимодействии потока ВосточноКамчатского течения с неоднородностями береговой черты и континентального склона. Средняя скорость дрейфа, рассчитанная по изображениям, полученным в марте 2016 г. в один день с разницей в 110 мин, составила 0,25 м/с, что в два с половиной раза превысило суточное значение. На севере и на юге района значения скорости дрейфа превышали скорости в центральной части. При ослаблении зимнего муссона в поле дрейфующего льда в западной части Берингова моря образуются хорошо выраженные грибовидные структуры, горизонтальные размеры которых могут превышать 200 км. Наряду с известными ранее синоптическими вихревыми образованиями синоптического масштаба спутниковые данные высокого (10 15 м) и среднего (250 м) пространственного разрешения позволили зарегистрировать многочисленные мезомасштабные циклоны диаметром 10 25 км и временем жизни от 1 до 14 суток. Ключевые слова: Берингово море, ледяной покров, MODIS, Landsat, дрейф льда, грибовидные течения, мезомасштабные вихри.On the basis of the analysis of the satellite multisensor data archive, the dynamics of the ice cover in the region of the East Kamchatka Current is investigated. With the developed winter monsoon, floating ice shifts along the Kamchatka coast to the south, tracing the multiscale eddies that appear when the East Kamchatka stream interacts with the inhomogeneities of the coastline and the continental slope. The average drift speed calculated from images taken in March 2016 on the same day with a difference of 110 min was 0.25 m / s, which was two and a half times higher than the daily value. On the north and south of the region, the drift velocity values exceeded the velocities in the central part. With the attenuation of the winter monsoon in the field of drifting ice in the western part of the Bering Sea, welldefined mushroomlike structures are formed, the horizontal dimensions of which can exceed 200 km. Together previously known synoptic eddy formations of a synoptic scale, satellite data of high (10 15 m) and moderate (250 m) spatial resolution made it possible to register numerous mesoscale cyclones with a diameter of 10 25 km and a life time of 1 to 14 days. Keywords: Bering Sea, sea ice cover, MODIS, Landsat, ice drift, mushroom currents, submesoscale eddies.На основе анализа архива спутниковых мультисенсорных данных исследована динамика ледяного покрова в области ВосточноКамчатского течения. При развитом зимнем муссоне плавучий лёд смещается вдоль побережья Камчатки на юг, трассируя разномасштабные вихри, которые возникают при взаимодействии потока ВосточноКамчатского течения с неоднородностями береговой черты и континентального склона. Средняя скорость дрейфа, рассчитанная по изображениям, полученным в марте 2016 г. в один день с разницей в 110 мин, составила 0,25 м/с, что в два с половиной раза превысило суточное значение. На севере и на юге района значения скорости дрейфа превышали скорости в центральной части. При ослаблении зимнего муссона в поле дрейфующего льда в западной части Берингова моря образуются хорошо выраженные грибовидные структуры, горизонтальные размеры которых могут превышать 200 км. Наряду с известными ранее синоптическими вихревыми образованиями синоптического масштаба спутниковые данные высокого (10 15 м) и среднего (250 м) пространственного разрешения позволили зарегистрировать многочисленные мезомасштабные циклоны диаметром 10 25 км и временем жизни от 1 до 14 суток. Ключевые слова: Берингово море, ледяной покров, MODIS, Landsat, дрейф льда, грибовидные течения, мезомасштабные вихри.

Ancient remains found in permafrost represent a rare opportunity to study past ecosystems. Here, we present an exceptionally well-preserved ancient bird carcass found in the Siberian permafrost, along with a radiocarbon date and a reconstruction of its complete mitochondrial genome. The carcass was radiocarbon dated to approximately 44–49 ka BP, and was genetically identified as a female horned lark. This is a species that usually inhabits open habitat, such as the steppe environment that existed in Siberia at the time. This near-intact carcass highlights the potential of permafrost remains for evolutionary studies that combine both morphology and ancient nucleic acids., Nicolas Dussex et al. identify a 44,000–49,000 year old bird found in Siberian permafrost as a female horned lark using ancient DNA. This exceptionally well-preserved specimen illustrates the potential contribution to science of permafrost deposits, such as the study of ecology and evolution of ancient ecosystems, calibration of molecular clocks, and furthering our understanding of processes such as biological regulation and gene expression in relation to climate change.

An analysis of the available data on the various adaptations of the woolly mammoth to the cryoarid conditions of the Ice Age is presented. Mammuthus primigenius had a set of specific anatomic–morphological (thick long three-row wool, small ears, a short tail, an adipose “hump”, a “hood”-like extension on the trunk, and wide soles of the feet) and physiological (reduced sensitivity to cold and a specific kind of lipid metabolism) ideoadaptations that provided safe existence and wide distribution of this species in the Northern Holarctic for a long time. The current data make it possible to refer the woolly mammoth to a highly specialized species of the Mammoth biome.

This paper considers the data on new findings of mammoth fauna remains in the Middle Lena basin used to specify the species composition of large Late Neopleistocene mammals represented by eleven species. The obtained range of radiocarbon dates made it possible to state that mass burials of Pleistocene mammal remains were formed in the region during the Karginsk Interstadial (24 000-55 000 years ago).

The paper presents analyses of the exterior morphology of one of the extinct and dominating species of the Late Pleistocene megafauna of Eurasia, the steppe bison, Bison priscus. The frozen mummy of the Yukagir Bison found in northern Yakutia, Russia represents the most complete specimen of this species in the world. It belongs to a young, 4.1-4.5 year old male, which dates back about 10,500 cal BP. The analyses revealed that the overall size of this specimen was comparable to a 6-year old European and American bison. Its horn spread falls within the upper limits of B. bison athabascae and B. bison bison males, as well as within the average sizes of B. priscus occidentalis from East Siberia and North America. While most of the not fully-grown Yukagir Bison body size fell within the average parameters of both grown modern species, the body and hind foot lengths were closer to the lower limits of the European bison. The color and hair pattern appeared to be close to the Blue Babe mummy (B. priscus) and modern Wood bison (modern morphotype of B. bison athabascae) and European (B. bonasus) bison. The geological age of the Yukagir Bison, along with the data from other specimens indicate that this species, which survived the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary, became rare but was still widely distributed in the northern part of centraleastern Siberia until about 8000 years ago. The juxtaposed data from arctic latitude sediments and the Bison priscus stomach content pollen indicate that it was selective grazer in the environment dominated by unfavorable shrub and forest-tundra vegetation. The scarce Holocene steppe bison remains in Eastern Siberia reflects the dramatic decrease of suitable habitats and pastures during the early Holocene climatic optimum in the high Arctic, which was a major factor of irreversible population fragmentation and decline leading to the species' extinction. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.

In this paper, we present a morphometric research of the fossil material from four sites in the Yana-Indigirka lowland, Yakutia. The preliminary results showed that the Selliakh and Mus-Khaya sites contained mass assemblages of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799) of different individual ages, resembling a herd of modern African elephants – Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797. The Buor-Uriakh and Chondon sites yielded bones of two woolly mammoth individuals, whose morphological characteristics and individual ages were determined.

This paper describes the treatment and results of the fixation procedure, extraction, dissection, and data collection of the preserved Late Pleistocene brain of the mummified specimen from permafrost. The partial carcass of the Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach 1799)) nicknamed “Yuka” was found in 2010 on the Dmitrii Laptev Sea coast (Northern Yakutia, Russia). It dates to 39,440–38,850 cal. BP. This fossil presents the unique opportunity to study the preserved brain from permafrost, with well-defined major gross anatomy features of the cerebrum and cerebellum and internal structures revealed by Computed tomography (CT) and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Anatomical description, CT data including volumetry, and results of the histological and electron microscopy study of the specimen are provided.

The paper presents the first morphological description of the internal organs of a frozen corpse of the steppe bison Bison priscus (Bojanus, 1827) from the Holocene of northern Yakutia. Necropsy revealed that most of the internal organs, including the brain, heart with the main vessels, and reproductive system were well preserved. It demonstrated that the anatomy of this bison was close to that of the genera Bos and Bison. Trauma or pathological changes in the organs were not detected. The cause of death of the bison remains unknown.

This article discusses recent finds of Holocene polar bear and walrus from the northern regions of Russia. The ulna of a polar bear was found on Vaygach Island and radiocarbon dated to 1,971 +/- 25 BP (OxA-23631). This calibrates to 430-540 AD, taking into account the marine reservoir effect. The size of the bone is similar to that of a recent Ursus maritimus. The locality of the fossil bone is within the modern species range, which developed about two millennia ago. In 2014 a walrus tusk was found on the coast of New Siberia Island and is radiocarbon dated to 5,065 +/- 35 BP (GrA-62452). This calibrates to 3,510-3,370 BC, taking into account the marine reservoir effect. Its size and morphology are identical to that of an adult male of the subspecies Odobenus rosmarus laptevi. This subspecies populates the eastern parts of the Kara Sea, the entire Laptev Sea and the western parts of the East Siberian Sea. This new discovery could mean that populations of O. rosmarus laptevi inhabited the waters near the New Siberian Islands during the Middle Holocene, and that the present-day coastline of the Siberian Arctic Islands was already formed at that time.

The paper presents a description of a rare finding of the partial frozen corpse of the Yukagir horse. Discovered from thawing deposits in northern East Siberia (Yakutia, Russia), its age is confirmed to be Mid-Holocene (about 4600 BP). The mummy had a preserved head with the neck and the back of the torso with the legs and tail. The Yukagir horse was relatively short, with short ears and tail. Compared to the modern breeds, including the Yakutian domestic horse, wild Przewalski's horse, and extinct Lena horse, Equus lenensis, the Yukagir horse was closest to the latter, which was also confirmed by studies of the hair microstructure. The pollen and plant remains from the horse's intestines indicated a preference to grasses. The late geological age of the Yukagir horse is an indication that this species survived the Pleistocene-Holocene crisis and lived through the Mid-Holocene in northern Eastern Siberia.

Based on the pathopsychological analysis, the author suggests a hypothesis of integrative basis of negative disorders of cognition in schizophrenia. The disorders are proposed to be related to the infringement of the general principle of CNS functioning - the domination of the process unifying cognitive, subjective-psychological, neurophysiological components of individuality.Предпринята попытка на основе патопсихологического анализа обосновать гипотезу об интегративной основе негативных расстройств познавательной деятельности при шизофрении. Предполагается, что расстройства связаны с нарушением универсального принципа функционирования ЦНС - доминирования процессов 'сплавляющего' в единое целое когнитивные, субъективно-психологические, нейрофизиологические компоненты индивидуальности.

The relation between porosity and permeability is not unique. We show that stress dependencies of both porosity and permeability can provide useful information clarifying this relation. We propose that comparison of the functional dependency of porosity and permeability on stress shows which part of the void space in rocks controls the permeability, the compliant porosity or the stiff porosity. The compliant porosity (including very thin cracks and grain-contact vicinities) usually controls the stress dependencies of elastic moduli of rocks. One then observes exponential-like dependencies of elastic properties on effective stress. Stress-induced deformation of stiff pores (equant pores) have less significance for stress dependencies of elastic properties on loadings of low to moderate magnitudes (several tens of MPa). However, such pores can play a significant role in the stress dependency of permeability. We propose a rather general model of permeability as a function of the stiff and compliant porosity. The model includes the possibility that, in different rocks, permeability can be controlled by stiff pores or, alternatively, by compliant pores, or, finally, by a combination of these. This model predicts a functional dependency of permeability on stress, ranging from power-law to exponential-law and to a mixed behavior of permeability in these situations, respectively. We show experimental results for four samples of sedimentary rocks from oil reservoirs of the Russian Perm region indicating these types of behavior.

In August 2010, a well-preserved Mammuthus primigenius carcass was found along the coast of Oyogos Yar in the region of the Laptev Sea and the mummy was nicknamed ‘Yuka’. Frozen sediment samples from the area of skull condyles were collected for pollen and plant macrofossil analyses. The results from the palaeobotanical investigation confirmed that the Yuka mammoth lived during the optimum of the Kargin Interstadial (MIS3). The burial place of the mammoth could have been a small shallow freshwater pond with either stagnant or slowly moving water. The vegetation of the Oyogos Yar in MIS3 optimum was probably represented by zonal tundra-steppe combined with mesic-xeric meadows.

A well-preserved trunk (proboscis) of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) found in 2010 in the area of the Oiyagosskii Yar, about 30 km west of the mouth of the Kondratievo River (Yakutia) is described (mammoth named Yuka). The distal part of trunk has a transverse expansion. In the expanded condition, it changes the trunk cross section from oval to ellipsoidal. The expansion is laterally framed by skin folds with sites of muscles making the trunk cross diameter twice as great. Trunk expansion has been recorded in three mammoths: Yuka, Kolyma mammoth, and Kirgilyakh mammoth calf. Structural details of the trunk expansion of the Kirgilyakh mammoth calf and Yuka are almost completely identical. This morphological feature distinguishes trunk of M. primigenius from Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus ones, the cross section of which remains oval throughout the trunk extent. The adaptive value of this unique trunk structure of the woolly mammoth in connection with cold climate conditions is discussed.

We have analyzed the electrocaloric response in ferroelectric materials in nonequilibrium thermal conditions. The temperature dependences of the electrocaloric response during polarization and depolarization of ferroelectric samples based on solid solutions of barium–strontium titanate and lead magnoniobate–titanate are considered. The difference in the electrocaloric responses for polarization and depolarization, which can be as large as 5 mK, has been demonstrated experimentally.

The exterior, skeletal morphology, and teeth of a 4- to 5-month-old woolly mammoth calf, Mammuthus primigenius Proboscidea, Elephantidae from the Khroma River (Yakutia, Russia) are described. This is the third and best preserved frozen carcass of the mammoth calves from Yakutia. The calf is male (penis available). The individual age as determined by the degree of wearing of DP2 and the beginning of wear of DP3 corresponds to the stage of transition to combined feeding (milk and vegetal forage). At the same time, formation of the cranial sutures (sutura sagittalis, fronto-temporalis, squamo-temporalis, and the suture between os occipitale superior and os occipitale inferior) testifies to an older juvenile stage. The proximal and distal epiphyses of the humerus and the distal epiphysis of the femur are represented by paired centers of ossification. A comparison of the dimensions of the head, body, and legs with the corresponding parameters of other M. primigenius calves of the same age shows the individual variability (10–15%) of these features. Although of medium size characteristic of M. primigenius calves, the described individual lacks subcutaneous fat deposits in the withers and subdermal areas of the body flanks. Death was caused by a rupture of the body and vertebral column at the level of the pectoral vertebrae 11–12. The deformation of the legs and longitudinal stretching of the soft tissues of the body caused no bone fractures (except for three ribs in the zone of the rupture). The long bones are not dislocated either in the shoulder and pelvic girdles or relative to each other. Possible causes and the timing of the death of the mammoth calves preserved in the permafrost are discussed.

The publication describes the aspects of laboratory analysis of acid influence on porosity and permeability and stress-strain behaviour of terrigenous reservoir rocks using the Perm Krai field as an example. A comprehensive laboratory study procedure for free volume and core sample testing in simulated reservoir conditions is represented. Certain test results for acid injection through a rock sample are given and acidizing impact on rock properties was assessed.

The analysis of the long-term variability and spatiotemporal conjugacy of formation processes of ice conditions in the water areas of the Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi seas is carried out on the basis of the available data on the ice cover conditions in the above seas. On the whole, the type of relationships between the ice processes in the system of East Arctic seas indicates the existence of certain mechanisms generating the wave processes in the climatic system of the Arctic Basin manifested in the phase opposition in the development of ice conditions on the western and eastern peripheries of the basin under consideration. The statistical analysis of series of the ice coverage of water areas under consideration demonstrated that the existence of the long-term trend of this characteristic in some seas has its spatiotemporal features: the probability of the trend existence increases from west to east (from the Laptev Sea to the Chukchi Sea) and the trends are of opposite signs.

The glass surface has been modified by titanium dioxide films synthesized using the sol-gel method. The sol-gel synthesis has been optimized by the experimental design with the use of the Latin square method. The film composition has been evaluated using X-ray powder diffraction analysis and optical measurements. The photoinduced hydrophilicity of the modified glass has been investigated.

The results of the analysis of the multiyear archive of ten-day observations of the state of ice cover in the Sea of Japan are considered. The sufficiency of the description of the state of ice cover is estimated with the help of traditionally used parameters: ice concentration, age, and forms. The character of distributions of principal ice cover parameters is analyzed. A close relation is revealed between the ice cover characteristics taken as independent. A conclusion is made that the ice information about the state of ice cover in the Sea of Japan is redundant.

Relation between porosity and permeability is not unique. We propose that comparison of functional dependencies of both, porosity and permeability, on stress provides useful constraints for their relation. Such a comparison shows which part of the void space in rocks controls the permeability, the compliant porosity or the stiff one. The compliant porosity (including very thin cracks and grain-contact vicinities) usually controls load dependencies of elastic moduli of rocks. This leads to exponentially-saturating functional dependencies of elastic properties on effective stress. Stiff pores (equant pores) are less significant by loads from low to moderate ones (several tens of MPa). However, stiff pores can be of importance for the stress dependency of permeability. We propose a rather general model of permeability as a function of the stiff and compliant porosity. The model includes possibility, that in different rocks permeability can be controlled by stiff pores or, alternatively, by compliant pores or, finally by a combination of them. This model provides a power-lawor an exponential differential-pressure dependency or a mixed behavior of permeability in these situations, respectively. We show experimental results, on samples from a broad data basis of sedimentary rocks of Russian Perm region, indicating these types of behavior.

Relation between porosity and permeability is not unique. We propose that comparison of functional dependencies of both, porosity and permeability, on stress provides useful constraints for their relation. Such a comparison shows which part of the void space in rocks controls the permeability, the compliant porosity or the stiff one. The compliant porosity (including very thin cracks and grain-contact vicinities) usually controls load dependencies of elastic moduli of rocks. This leads to exponentially-saturating functional dependencies of elastic properties on effective stress. Stiff pores (high-aspect-ratio pores) are less significant by loads from low to moderate ones (several tens of MPa). However, stiff pores can be of importance for the stress dependency of permeability. We propose a rather general model of permeability as a function of the stiff and compliant porosity. The model includes possibility, that in different rocks permeability can be controlled by stiff pores or, alternatively, by compliant pores or, finally by a combination of them. This model provides a powerlaw or an exponential differential-pressure dependency or a mixed behaviour of permeability in these situations, respectively. We show experimental results, on samples from a broad data basis of sedimentary rocks of Russian Perm region, indicating these types of behaviour.

The development of nanocrystalline phases during isothermal annealing of titanium dioxide films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering at various rates onto silica glass substrates has been studied. It is established that the heat treatment at temperatures within 500–700°C in air or in vacuum leads to significantly different results, depending on the initial crystalline structure of as-deposited films.

The information-reference system contains the aggregate data of long-term observations and generalized results of investigations on the ice coverage of the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Sea of Japan, represented in the form of tabular, graphic, and text materials. It consists of the information block, electronic atlas, observation data archive, and user software for the work in the Internet medium. The software of the electronic atlas provides the possibility of the access to the archive data and visualization of all accessible information on discrete maps of variable scales in the dynamic mode according to the user’s query. The system enables to provide the fast access to the specially selected, generalized information, dispersed in different sources and, therefore, limited for the wide use.

Classical anisotropic cosmological models are described in terms of the Raychaudhuri equation for a perfect fluid. Quantum ones are considered using the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. The Universe birth probability has been calculated for a flat model with dust and de Sitter vacuum.