Transformation of the “Soviet Ideology” in the Discursive Practices of the Russian Government

The article examines the trajectory of changes in the post-Soviet period in the ideological complex, which was called “Soviet ideology” in the “late” USSR. The theoretical and methodological frame work of the analysis consists of the theory of political regimes, as well as elements of the theory of ideologies and the theory of political discourse. The features and peculiarities of the “Soviet ideology” in the conditions of the “post-totalitarian” political regime in the “late” USSR, which led to its weakening and decline after the collapse of the Soviet regime, are investigated. Under the conditions of the post-Soviet political regime in Russia, the “Soviet ideology” disintegrated into an ideological component (the basis of the ideology of post-Soviet communist parties) and a political-cultural component (the pattern of post-Soviet political culture). Both components created a specific problem of relations with these phenomena for the ruling power. The study of the discourse of power on the subject of “Soviet ideology” (conducted mainly on the material of speeches and statements of the presidents of the Russian Federation) allowed us to identify three successive discursive strategies of such relations: the strategy of “struggle”, the strategy of “adaptation” and the strategy of “selective use”. The last of them was used in the 2010s in the conditions of consolidation of the authoritarian political regime. It made it possible to selective lyinclude the legacy of “Soviet ideology” in the ideological complex of the ruling regime, which is characterized by the use of not full-fledged political ideologies, but “identitarian narratives” that allow the inclusion of heterogeneous elements of ethno cultural, historical, religious, etc. traditions. Comparative studies also show that the orientation in the ideological sphere to such “identitarian narratives” is a characteristic trend of modern neo-autocracies.

Municipal consolidation tendencies in Finland: challenges and perspectives

The presented paper analyzes the trends of the consolidation of municipalities in Finland in the context of the existence of problems and the formation of development prospects. The key problematic points in the consolidation of municipalities in Finland are described. The relevance of the presented topic is due to the existence of a large number of problematic issues in the system of regulation of municipalities in the country under consideration. Research methods: analytical method, review method. Reforming of local self-government has become a characteristic trend in Russia in recent years. The budgetary-territorial organization was changed through the unification of municipalities. Little experience of state power and local self-government in Russia forces experts to turn to foreign practice and experience in order to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of reforms. Within the framework of this study, we will turn to the experience of Finland and the ongoing policy of consolidation of municipalities.

The specificity of response of youth audience to the reflection of social problems in video blogs: the case of the video “HIV in Russia” on YouTube channel “Vdud”

This article discusses the peculiarities of the response of youth audience to coverage of relevant social problems in popular video blogs. The characteristic trend in the development of video blogs of recent years is the content that addresses socially significant problems, rather than carries entertaining connotation. The emergence of such trend raises the question of how the audience that is accustomed to view video blogs as the source of entertainment responds to such serious content. The author seeks the answer to this question by referring to the analysis of a specific case of reflecting the socially significant problem in a video blog – release of the film “HIV in Russia” on YouTube channel “Vdud”. The main results consists in revealing the specific features of the response of youth audience to the reflection of important social problems in video blogs. The analysis demonstrates that the reflection of such topics in video blogs may cause numerous curiosity among youth, which encourages young people to watch the corresponding video. Moreover, watching such video may form not only the basic representation of social problems, but also a desire of young people to learn more about such problems. The analysis also indicates that the effects of watching such content can be local and short-term: interest in new information vanishes quickly, rather than leads to serious changes in assessments and behavioral patterns of young people.

Chances of education in the global world

The article considers the challenge to the educational system, which arises from the sociocultural context and the conditions of the global world. The emphasis is on the cultural and historical nature of the emergence and development of the institution of education. The specifics of its current state consists in the transition from the state of "universal education" characteristic of the modern time to the localization of education in specialized groups and communities as a characteristic trend of global reality (the phenomenon of "educational archipelago"). In these conditions, school education receives a special purpose. It becomes a prerequisite for an individual’s ability to self-determination in a changing world devoid of objective unity. Accordingly, giftedness as a potential for personality development comes to the fore. The shortcomings of the common understanding of giftedness are analyzed, its relationship with the essence of man is shown. The meaning of giftedness as a negative and positive educational task is revealed. The most important result of the development of giftedness in the school is the discovery by the student of his vocation. In the form of a vocation, a person opens the semantic perspective of his life and determines the scenario of life in an adult state.

The simulation of single wraparound fin on a semi-cylindrical missile body

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish a freestream computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a three-dimensional non-spinning semi-cylindrical missile model with a single wrap around fin in Mach 2.70-3.00M range and 0° angle of attack, and ultimately establishing itself for future research study. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the behaviour of flow around the fin was investigated using a κ-ϵ turbulence model of second-order of discretization. This was done using a highly structured mesh. Additionally, an inviscid CFD simulation involving the same boundary conditions have also been carried out for comparison. Findings The obtained values of aerodynamic coefficients and pressure contours visualizations are compared against their experimental and computational counterparts. A typical missile aerodynamic characteristic trend can be seen in the current CFD. Practical implications The predicted values of the aerodynamic coefficients of this single fin model have also been compared to those of the full missile body comprising of four fins from the previous research studies, and a similar aerodynamic trend can be seen. Originality/value This study explores the possibility of the use of turbulence modelling in a single fin model of a missile and provides a basic computational model for further understanding the flow behaviour near the fin.

Strong seasonality in the cadmium and phosphate cycling at the subtropical convergence, south-eastern New Zealand

The global distribution of dissolved cadmium (Cd) in the world’s oceans is generally well understood. However, information on seasonal variability of this and other trace metals in the open ocean is difficult to obtain and, therefore, our understanding is limited. Here, we present a 3-year time series of field measurements of dissolved and particulate Cd and phosphate (PO4) from a transect across the subtropical convergence, south-eastern New Zealand. In the final year of study, the bioactive trace metals (iron, Fe; zinc, Zn; cobalt, Co) and nutrients (nitrate, NO3; silicate, Si(OH)4) were also measured to identify their influence on Cd cycling in the region. Cadmium varied seasonally from 0.009 to 0.137nM in the sub-Antarctic surface waters (SASW). Zinc in SASW varied between 0.03 and 0.011nM, which is low enough to suggest Zn limitation year-round. The seasonal input of dissolved Fe may stimulate phytoplankton growth in summer where microplankton (especially diatoms) dominate the phytoplankton distribution. The Cd:PO4 ratio also varied strongly with season (0.015×10–3 to 0.05×10–3). This seasonal variation in the Cd:PO4 ratio is productivity driven as revealed in the characteristic trend in the Cd:PO4 ratio, particulate Cd and chlorophyll-a measurements. The high seasonal variability between Cd and PO4 complicates the application of the Cd proxy for the reconstruction of historical PO4 concentrations in SASW.

Fluorescent PCDTBT Nanoparticles with Tunable Size for Versatile Bioimaging

Conjugated polymer nanoparticles exhibit very interesting properties for use as bio-imaging agents. In this paper, we report the synthesis of PCDTBT (poly([9-(1’-octylnonyl)-9H-carbazole-2,7-diyl]-2,5-thiophenediyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl-2,5-thiophene-diyl)) nanoparticles of varying sizes using the mini-emulsion and emulsion/solvent evaporation approach. The effect of the size of the particles on the optical properties is investigated using UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. It is shown that PCDTBT nanoparticles have a fluorescence emission maximum around 710 nm, within the biological near-infrared “optical window”. The photoluminescence quantum yield shows a characteristic trend as a function of size. The particles are not cytotoxic and are taken up successfully by human lung cancer carcinoma A549 cells. Irrespective of the size, all particles show excellent fluorescent brightness for bioimaging. The fidelity of the particles as fluorescent probes to study particle dynamics in situ is shown as a proof of concept by performing raster image correlation spectroscopy. Combined, these results show that PCDTBT is an excellent candidate to serve as a fluorescent probe for near-infrared bio-imaging.

Modern Alterations of the Surface Runoff and Infiltration of Melt Water in Agricultural Fields in the Forest-steppe and Steppe Zones of the Russian Plain and their Consequence

An assessment of current changes in surface slope flow and infiltration in agricultural fields in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of the Russian Plain and their consequences is given. It was shown that for the period of observations since late 1950s till 2016 the runoff from fall-plowed land was less on all considered stations than that from the compacted arable land, and infiltration was greater. In the forest-steppe on gray forest soils the runoff decreases under the influence ofthe fall-plowing by 1,4 times, in the steppes on ordinary chernozems - by 4,9 times and in the dry steppe with light-chestnut soils – by 5 times. Infiltration increases by 3,18 and 12 %, respectively. In the structure of the water balance in the plowland during the spring high water and during the cold period as a whole, infiltration significantly prevails over the surface slope runoff. It is shown that a significant (by tens of percent) decrease in the amount of surface slope flow has become a characteristic trend of recent decades.