Vol 10, No 2 (2021)

This paper examines the management tasks that the administration of an educational organization has to solve when introducing blended learning technology. Particular attention is paid to the creation of material and technical conditions, taking into account the specifics of blended learning models implementation, the organizational and regulatory components of this process in conditions of a lack of financial resources (in particular, centralized access to the resources of the school media center). The approaches to content creation for information and educational environment are analyzed, taking into account their variability and educational organization capabilities, the analysis of management decisions is carried out. Particular attention is paid to the preparation of subjects of the educational process for the implementation of blended learning. Considering the issues of improving the qualifications of teaching staff, a comprehensive analysis of the problem and the associated need for a systematic approach to its solution are noted; variability of managerial decision making; advantages of in-house training and the creation of temporary creative teams are noted. The paper reveals the problems of preparing students for blended learning, gives recommendations for extracurricular activities organization aimed at students’ digital competence development in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard. In conclusion, it is noted that there is a need for a systematic and planned nature of measures to introduce blended learning and monitor the achievement of the set goals, which will require the development of a system of criteria and indicators of the attainability of the tasks.

In the paper special attention is paid to creativity and creative thinking development in the research of fostering personal culture among undergraduate pedagogical students by means of foreign-language education. Creativity is considered one of the essential principles of the civilization progress; «creativization of education» is one of the main aspects of the intellectualization of education that is associated with revealing personal creative traits and developing the capability to implement creative acts in the educational environment, social and professional spheres. The purpose of the paper is to analyze pedagogical conditions for developing emotional, creative and innovative potential of prospective teachers in various productive intellectual and creative activities using foreign language educational material. The methodological basis for identifying conditions for the development of creative thinking, cognitive, speech-thinking, communicative, regulatory, reflexive skills and the subject position of students for the development of personal intellectual culture of prospective teachers are the ontological, personal, environmental, activity approaches. The efficiency of creative tasks, creative technologies and methods of studying a foreign language is analyzed; these activities are used to train students to get knowledge and skills themselves in order to solve certain problems, to enrich the experience of practical application, to expose independence in creative activity and critical thinking, to foster the traits of a creative personality, to make a personally significant educational product of interaction and collective creativity, self-expression and self-realization of prospective teachers in the process of studying a foreign language at university.

The paper analyzes methodological foundations for selection of educational content about the structure and life of protozoa in the university course «Zoology» while training bachelors of «Pedagogical education» majoring in Biology and Chemistry. The authors test the hypothesis that the methodological foundations of the study of protozoa are the achievements of biological sciences, as well as formulated methodological constructs based on the recognition of ecological and evolutionary approaches. General scientific methods of theoretical knowledge as well as methods used at the empirical and theoretical levels of knowledge were used as research methods. The methodological foundations for selecting the educational content about the structure and life of protozoa in the university course «Zoology» are: general properties of living organisms, levels of life organization, ideas of development and structure, an ecological-evolutionary approach, description of co-evolutionary processes and the role of cognitive models. The belonging of unicellular organisms to the cellular level of life organization does not prevent their description taking into account the structural-functional approach with the substantiation of a close connection between the vital processes of unicellular and multicellular organisms. Methodological attitudes operating in biological knowledge are associated with an orientation towards the idea of development and organization. The study of unicellular organisms’ biology taking into account the above ideas is guided by ecological and evolutionary aspects. The formulated approach is important from a practical and theoretical point of view. The aspects of the practical application of knowledge about the biology of protozoa include, for example, the study of their role in the life of the biosphere. Evolutionary aspects in the description of protozoa are realized at the phylogenetic and ontogenetic levels.

The paper discusses the experience of organizing distance learning in 2019/2020–2020/2021 in the course «Anatomy and Physiology» for students majoring in non-biological pedagogical education. The features and difficulties of studying this course for these students are highlighted. The paper discusses necessary steps to improve the effectiveness of teaching the course. Among them there are minimization of natural visualization, the use of educational alternatives, the expansion of topics of physiological and functional tests, the rejection of the practice of memorizing terminology in Latin, teaching the technique of performing anatomical drawing, strengthening the practice-oriented component of the course content, systematic terminological work, inclusion of elements of age physiology in the content of the course. The paper describes the changes in the format of studying the course in 2020/2021 after distance learning experience in 2019/2020. The author presents and analyzes the results of a survey of students as a source of feedback on the effectiveness of the tools, methods and forms of teaching and control of knowledge in the course in the context of distance learning. The prospects for further research are highlighted, including the use of various educational platforms, development of a methodology for terminological work using distance technologies, strengthening of the bioethical component of the course content, creation of static and dynamic educational infographics and case pools on discipline topics.

The aim of the research is to define the structure of the teachers’ readiness for creating and implementing inclusive technologies into the educational process. This problem is relevant nowadays due to the requirements for teachers’ functions that are established in the teacher’s professional standard. The author considers the main concepts: inclusive technologies, teacher’s professional readiness, teacher’s professional readiness to organize the educational process within the inclusive education framework; and the teacher’s readiness for creating and implementing inclusive technologies in the educational process in order to achieve the research goal. As a result, the author has identified and characterized the structural components of the teachers’ readiness for creating and implementing inclusive technologies into the educational process, such as: motivation-volitional, cognitive, operation-technological and reflexive. Each of the components can be formed at one of 4 levels: threshold, reproductive, productive and creative. The listed levels include the teachers’ knowledge, skills and abilities for creating and implementing the inclusive technologies into the educational process. Summing up, the research shows that the teachers’ readiness for creating and implementing inclusive technologies into the educational process is a complex of formed structural components. These components formations testify that a teacher is ready to create and implement inclusive technology into the educational process.

Environmental education in botanical gardens that deals with the conservation and study of plant biodiversity and environmental protection can be successfully integrated into any level of education. A successful option for such integration can be considered an environmental project launched in 2021 for pharmaceutical students in Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the Komarov Botanical Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences. The paper describes an experiment to identify the nature of the leading motives and the direction of student’s behavior in environmentally significant situations using the value-normative methodology of G.E. Zalessky. Experimental data allowed us to determine the preliminary typology of the level of environmental culture of pharmaceutical students before the start of the project. The results of the experiment show that the students of Murmansk Medical College developed a slightly higher level of ecological culture than the students of Saint Petersburg Pharmaceutical College (24% and 16%, respectively). However, at the same time 33% of the students of Murmansk Medical College showed a low level of ecological culture, which is almost twice higher than the students of Saint Petersburg Pharmaceutical College (16%). According to the indicator of a high level of ecological culture, pharmaceutical students of both experimental groups approach the results of O.I. Saltykova among schoolchildren and significantly exceed the results of students of other specialties.

In modern society, the final assessment of the result of the educational process is made by the employer, whose requests are focused primarily on professional qualities, which are based on the ability of a university graduate to make independent decisions in emerging industrial situations. Unfortunately, most of the existing content and technologies of training do not develop these qualities among students. In certain special areas of specialists training, the competencies developed in the educational institution do not allow the graduate to perform their official duties in the workplace in full. Unfortunately, such areas include the training of specialists in the field of industrial safety. Among the reasons for this situation is the creation of the education content without taking into account the requirements of regulatory legal documents in the field of industrial safety, the insufficient practical component of the educational process and the use of training technologies that do not allow to develop the required competencies. As a result, graduates who come to production still need a considerable amount of time to develop all the necessary competencies. Moreover, the resources of the enterprise, the actual working time of the specialist and other personnel are already spent on making up for these knowledge and skills not acquired at the university. In a situation of shortage of personnel, the presence of untrained specialists at a dangerous production facility increases the risk of accidents and incidents, with various social and economic consequences for society.

This paper discusses the use of dynamic programming technologies in teaching cadets of military universities to solve optimization problems in the course of computer science. One of the key topics in such courses as higher mathematics and computer science in all civil and military technical universities is the optimization theory, familiarization with which is based on learning methods for solving a transport task, assignment problem, traveling salesman problem and others. An effective solution to this type of tasks is possible through automated computing tools, tabular processors, and programming systems. The specifics of training cadets at military universities dictates the need to formulate tasks with a focus on military-technical research. Optimization issues are considered as applied to possible real situations in the military service of future officers. The staffing task is solved through high-level programming. Some results of the comparative analysis of educational material assimilation in the control and experimental groups are given. A deeper understanding of the theoretical material by the cadets and confident practical knowledge of programming technologies and solving problems in general with the specified training approach are noted, and it’s confirmed by the results of the tests conducted by the authors of the paper.

The paper examines ecological and genetic characteristics of hybrids of «yellow» wagtails: yellow white-eared wagtail Motacilla flava beema and yellow-fronted wagtail Motacilla lutea. At present, in the zone of contact between closely related forms of «yellow» wagtails, a system of their spatial and reproductive interaction with each other has been formed under conditions of wide sympatry. This interaction is manifested in the existence and maintenance in the population samples of three components of their genetic system: the genotypes M. flava, M. lutea, and the light-headed hybrid form M. f. beema × M. lutea. The new data obtained significantly supplement the understanding of the intraspecific interaction of three forms: M. flava, M. lutea, and the light-headed hybrid form M. f. beema × M. lutea. Light-headed hybrids M. f. beema × M. lutea have their own specific stable characters at different levels: morphological, behavioral, and molecular genetic as confirmation of the genetic interaction existing in natural populations between the two species, which is an interspecies mechanism for maintaining their structure. In the zone of contact between M. flava and M. lutea, unlimited hybridization of these species occurs and mixed pairs are formed. In this case, the isolation of light-headed hybrid forms with a characteristic manifestation of various groups of characters: morphological – the color of the plumage of the head; genetic – distinguishing light-headed hybrids from the original species (M. flava and M. lutea). This phenomenon can act as a mechanism for maintaining the integrity of the species of «yellow» wagtails – both the yellow wagtail M. flava and the yellow-fronted wagtail M. lutea due to the constantly occurring interspecific hybridization in areas of wide sympatry within a single polytypic complex.

The aim of the work was to study the species composition, as well as some behavior, ecology, biology issues, species’ distribution of the genus Phytomyza and research of cultivated and wild host-plants in Nagorno-Karabakh. Infected plant leaves, larvae and pupae of the mining flies collected from different geographical zones of Nagorno-Karabakh were served as scientific material. Species composition was determined under laboratory conditions after imagoes hatching from mines with larvae and pupae. Three species were identified, they belong to the genus Phytomyza: Phytomyza horticola (Goureau, 1851), Ph. plantaginis (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1851) and Ph. lappae (Goureau, 1851). The polyphagous Ph. horticola species infect mainly the plant species of the families Brassicaceae, Asteraceae and Cucurbitaceae. The monophagous Ph. plantaginis and Ph. lappae species accordingly infect Plantago mayor and Arctium lappa plant species. The paper presents features of the genus, morphology and biology of imago, ecological characteristics of their larvae and pupae, mines, intensity and extensiveness of plant infection. The studies have shown that despite the similarity of some species of the genus in terms of external morphological characteristics, they differ in environments of pupal development, and more accurate identity of the species is determined by studying the reproductive organs. Among the studied species, the mines formed on the lower surface are always longer than the mines on the upper surface of the leaf blade. Methods of variance analysis showed that sexual dimorphism is most expressed among Ph. horticola. Taking into account the significant damage caused by the larvae of the Ph. horticola species to a group of vegetable crops, especially to the onion plant (Allium cepa), it can be included in the list of onion pests. The high damage to the leaves of weed plants by Ph. horticola larvae indicates the prospects of using this miner in the fight against weeds.

The current pace of construction leads to the use of large volumes of construction raw materials, which must meet the regulatory indicators, including radiation. High levels of natural radionuclide activity, both in construction and finishing materials, affect changes in the gamma radiation indicators in the premises, which can negatively affect the health of people living in such facilities. Ecological and radiation assessment of building materials for the content of natural radionuclides showed an increased natural activity of potassium-40. The maximum activity values were observed in samples of bricks and expanded clay, where they were 799,0 and 622,0 Bq/kg, respectively. The lowest specific activity of natural potassium was observed in the crushed stone sample (21,3 Bq/kg). The specific activity of thorium-232 in building materials ranged from 2,1 to 53,3 Bq/kg. The activity of radium-226 in all the studied samples ranged from 4,4 Bq/kg (crushed stone) to 55,6 Bq/kg (cement). The specific effective activity of natural radionuclides in the studied building materials does not exceed the standard values (370 Bq/kg), therefore, they can be used in all types of construction and reconstruction.

This paper examines the rate of elimination in the early ontogeny of colonial bird species. The research objects were colonial nesting species – black-necked gull (Larus ridibundus L.) and black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis C.L. Brehm), which form monospecific and poly-species colonial settlements. The rate of elimination was determined taking into account the stage of completion of the clutch, as well as the position of the nest in the structure of the colonial settlement: in the biological center or at the periphery of the colony. The nesting life of colonially nesting species was studied according to the generally accepted method, taking into account the choice of a place for building a nest by birds, the morphology of the nest, the intensity of oviposition and other characteristics. In the course of many years of research 3 types of nest placement within the colony have been identified. The maximum elimination rate has been proven for fixing the nest on the floodplain of common reed. The minimum rate of elimination was found for black-headed gull nests built on the fold of common reed (Phragmites australis) and narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia). Near-nesting vegetation is located around the nests of black-necked gull and black-necked grebe. The variant of placing vegetation around the nest prevails. Less common are options in which vegetation is located on one side. Observations have not revealed a relationship between the rate of elimination and the nature of the distribution of vegetation around the nest. The authors have compared the rate of elimination of black-headed gull nests located in the biological center and at the periphery of the colony. Elimination is possible both during the laying of the first egg and after the end of the clutch. Observations have shown that the rate of elimination is higher for nests from the periphery of the colony, which may be associated with differences in the size of the nests, the rate of their construction, as well as with the behavior of birds incubating eggs. The maximum rate of elimination of nests and eggs at the periphery of the colony is also manifested in the early ontogenesis of the black-necked grebe. The intensity of elimination and the forms of its manifestation affect the structure of the colonial settlement of birds and characterize the level of individual and group adaptation of birds to the conditions in which the nesting period takes place.

The paper studies mycobiota of the upper layer of pine forests litter in the parks of Surgut: «Za Saimoy», «Energetikov», «Kedrovy Log», «Neftyanik». The author identified 52 isolates of soil microscopic fungi belonging to 14 genera. Most of the isolates – anamorphic (mitospore) fungi – are represented by 9 genera: Acremonium, Annellosporium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Humicola, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Ulocladium, Verticillium. Zygomycetes belong to three genera – Absidia, Mucor and Umbelopsis. Ascomycetes are represented by two genera: Eupenicillium and Talaromyces. The author also isolated Mycelia sterilia group. Representatives of the genera Absidia, Trichoderma, Fusarium and Penicillium are found in the mycocenoses of the studied parks. The genera Trichoderma, Fusarium and Penicillium also dominate by the number of isolates. Umbelopsis isabellina species is abundant in the «Kedrovy Log» park. Species of the genus Trichoderma are abundant in the «Neftyanik» park. Light-colored micromycetes of the group Mycelia sterilia are found and abundant only in the «Za Saimoy» park. Cellulolytics of the genus Trichoderma and the species Annellosporium nemorosum are abundant in the «Energetikov» park. Thus, mycobiota of the upper layer litter of the studied parks is close to the mycobiota of the background podzolic soils. It contains fungal species typical of the background soils. Fungi resistant to anthropogenic influences – dark-colored micromycetes Ulocladium alternarie and phytopathogenic species Verticillium dahlia var. longisporum. were found in the minority only in the «Energetikov» park. The obtained data allow us to conclude that the anthropogenic influence on the structure of the mycocenosis of the «Energetikov» park is more pronounced, but in general it does not have a significant effect on the mycobiota of the upper layer litter of the studied parks.

This paper studies the vegetation cover organization of the «Aryskannyg» cluster of the state natural biosphere reserve «Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina». In the course of the work 2 ecological and phytocoenotic profiles were laid and 2 large-scale mapping was carried out. The steppe type of vegetation is mainly represented by different variants of real turf-and-slag steppes: shrubby, petrophytic and dry. The original steppe communities are the resurrection (Selaginella sanguinolenta) and eastern feather grass coenoses (Stipa orientalis). An independent high-altitude belt forms mountain expositional forest-steppes. The forest component consists of grass and rhytidium larch forests, and the daurian rhododendron occupies an active position in the undergrowth. The steppe component consists of thickened mixed-grass-stop-grass meadow, as well as mixed-grass-fine-grained-slag petrophytic steppes. The mountain-taiga belt is represented by communities of larch and cedar formations. The high-altitude belt is dominated by yernik (Betula rotundifolia) and dryad (Dryas oxyodontha) mountain-tundra communities. It is revealed that the territory has a complex vegetation cover, which was formed in the conditions of mountain relief and sharply continental climate, the diversity of plant communities (from dry-steppe to mountain-tundra) is due to the length of the cluster territory in three high-altitude zones and the complex influence of latitudinal and local abiotic factors. The leading factors in the distribution of vegetation are the exposure of the slopes and the absolute height of the terrain.

A comparative analysis of two Scots pine plantations growing in different ecological conditions of the steppe zone in the south of the Central Black Earth region (Kantemirovsky District of the Voronezh Region) has been carried out. One plantation is located in a relatively ecologically clean area, outside the urban environment, the other one – within the village Kantemirovka. The enzyme system has been studied; it is an important link in the main metabolic pathways in plant organisms influencing the general condition of plants. In the studied stands the genetic structure of the glutamate dehydrogenase locus has been analyzed, one of the alleles of which (Gdh-1¹) in Scots pine is an embryonic semi-metal. It has been found that in a weakened plantation located in an urban environment and exposed to increased anthropogenic impact, the proportion of this allele and the proportion of genotypes homozygous for it is significantly (p < 0,01) higher than in the population from an ecologically clean zone. It is known that organisms with semi-lethal genes in their genotype possess a complex of compensatory genes, which determines their increased resistance to unfavorable factors. An increase in the proportion of semi-lethal alleles in a plantation growing under anthropogenic load can be an adaptive mechanism for increasing resistance at the population level to stress effects of different nature.

The research was carried out in shaded flooded lime-tree forest on the territory of the Mari El Republic. Population density, ontogenetic structure of populations and thalli vitality of E. prunastri were explored on 19 marked trees of heart-leaved linden on different tree trunk heights (0–0,5 m, 0,5–1 m, 1–1,5 m, 1,5–2 m) and on different expositions (north, east, south, west). For the period from 2008 to 2017 an increase in the population density of E. prunastri was founded. These differences appear at the trunk height of 1,5–2 m. Thalli were not founded at the height of 0–0,5 m. No changes in the distribution of thalli by exposure in different years were revealed. The most of E. prunastri thalli grow on the northern exposure. In 2017 in the population the specimens share of v₁, v₂ and g₂v of ontogenetic states increases and the specimens share of g₁v decreases. The average vitality of E. prunastri thalli decreases, the deterioration of vitality is more pronounced among individuals in g₁v-ss ontogenetic states. An increase in the population density, a decrease in the size of the E. prunastri thalli and Hypogymnia physodes, a «rejuvenation» of the ontogenetic structure of the E. prunastri thalli were shown earlier for the illuminated floodplain lime forest. Similar processes in different environmental conditions and in different species indicate regular changes in the populations of epiphytic lichens, which can be caused by climate warming.

The paper presents study results of 8 herbaceous and woody plants species assimilating organs’ biochemical parameters in conditions of introduction. It has been identified that in 4 herbaceous introduced species increased chlorophyll content and ratio of chlorophyll to flavonoids in August is associated with massive flowering and fruiting phases. On the contrary, in Crataegus ellwangeriana the maximum values of the above parameters are the reaction to unfavorable growing conditions (lack of nutrition and moisture) during the active growth period. The increased anthocyanins synthesis in Physocarpus opulifolius and Sorbaria sorbifolia by 1,2–1,4 times and increased nitrogen balance in Aronia melanocarpa up to 23 mg/cm² in September compared to summer period testifies to protective function formation in plant organism in pre-winter period. Slight fluctuations in flavonoids content throughout the entire vegetation season confirm that all the studied plants are in optimal nitrogen status. The following statistical methods were used to interpret the present study results: Shapiro-Wilk W-test (for small samples n < 30), parametric analysis method Student’s t-test, t-test for dependent samples.

The diversity of weed-field communities of sunflower crops within the forest-steppe zone of the Orenburg Region (Abdulinskiy, Matveevskiy, Oktyabrskiy, Aleksandrovskiy, Sharlykskiy districts) was studied. The communities in the system of ecological-floristic classification units are assigned to the new variant Orobanche cumana of the Amarantho blitoides – Lactucetum tataricae Khasanova et al. 2019. In the core of the cenoflora of communities juvenile weed species prevail. The most active of them are late spring annuals (Amaranthus blitoides, Panicum miliaceum, Amaranthus retroflexus, Setaria viridis) and early spring annuals (Chenopodium album, Fallopia convolvulus, Camelina microcarpa). Root perennials such as Lactuca tatarica, Convolvulus arvensis, Euphorbia virgata, Cirsium arvense have also a high proportion. A distinctive feature of the communities is the participation in their floristic composition of a dangerous quarantine species – Sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana). Modeling the area of the association under a moderate scenario of climate change shows that the distribution of communities by 2050 can cover almost the entire territory of the Cis-Urals (within the Republic of Bashkortostan). It is necessary to organize a monitoring system for the range of these communities in the Southern Urals.

Researchers suggest a hypothesis that one of the indicators of the Neolithic is settlements based on stable fishing using boats and nets. The northern part of the Lower Volga region is a steppe zone. The peculiarities of natural and climatic conditions (arid climate, a small number of rivers) predetermined a low population density in comparison with other regions. The location of long-term camps is traced on different rivers on particular distance from each other. This provided normal conditions for life of the Orlovskaya culture representatives. The culture stratification in loam leaded to good preservation of faunal remains. The big archeozoological material was accumulated for reconstruction of these societies household. Hunting was carried out mainly on large ungulates. In addition, waterfowl accounted for a significant proportion. A domestic dog provided assistance in hunting. Finds of bone harpoons and hooks, accumulations of scales and bones of pike and perch are speaking about individual fishing. Stone sinkers, axes and adzes, vertebrae may suggest fishing with a net from a boat or a raft. The absence of sturgeon remains give a thought that the Bolshoi Uzen River didn’t flow into the Caspian Sea in the Late Stone Age.

The problem of Athenian naucraries, their places and roles in the political life of Athens applies to the number of discussion problems in historiography of antiquity. This is due to the sporadic nature of information about them, fragmentary and episodicity of the surviving sources, as well as many difficulties associated with the comprehension of information reflected in them, and with its interpretation in a variety of contexts. The paper discusses the etymology of the term ναύκραρος and examines the stories of Herodotus and Thucydides about the suppression of the attempt of the victor of the Olympic games Cylon to establish his tyranny in Athens. Cylon and his supporters were besieged at the Acropolis by the Athenians, who seeing that the siege was dragging on, reassigned the matter, according to Herodotus, to the Prytaneis of the Naucraries, and according to Thucydides – to archons. The following questions are discussed: did the Prytaneis of the Naucraries rule Athens during the Cylonian Affair, as Herodotus says? Or was the power in Athens at that time in the hands of the archons as Thucydides says? Is it possible to somehow reconcile the versions of Herodotus and Thucydides. The conclusion is drawn: despite the fact that the majority of scholars tries to reconcile the versions of Herodotus and Thucydides, the contradiction found in them cannot be resolved convincingly.

The paper determines the place of junior servants in the system of monastic administration at the beginning of the 17^th century on the example of the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery. At the beginning of the 17^th century the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery suffered significant financial losses in connection with wartime conditions. At the same time, such a large patrimony had a need for a branched multistage management apparatus. The monastic servants carried out economic activities. The question of the system of monastic administration of the 16^th–17^th centuries actively researched by scientists on the example of specific monasteries. As part of the study of the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, this problem was raised by historians on the basis of economic books of the 16^th century. However, economic books of the beginning of the 17^th century have also survived, which had not been studied earlier in this aspect, which made it possible to continue research in this area and expand the scientific understanding of the composition and role of monastic servants in the management structure of a large monastic patrimony. The sources for this work were two servage books of the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, which are part of the economic books for the years of 7115 (1606/07) and 7116 (1607/08). To determine the place of monastic servants in the system of economic management, the classifications compiled by M.N. Tikhomirov, V.A. Petrov, S.I. Smetanina for the 16^th century were considered and compared with the classifications by occupation and by territorial feature presented in the servage books of the early 17^th century. This allowed us to conclude about the complexity of monastic servants classification structure at the beginning of the 17^th century in comparison with the 16^th century. A count was made of the number of monastic servants and the amounts spent on their maintenance to find out their composition. An attempt has been made to clarify the existing classifications of monastic servants for the beginning of the 17^th century, while drawing attention to the merging of the system of senior and junior servants with an ordered control system. As a result of the study, it was concluded that a significant number of junior monastic servants (about 300) of various categories lived on the territory of the monastery, but their maintenance did not cause serious damage to the monastic treasury and was economically justified.

The paper draws attention to such an important historical aspect as the connection between foreign humanitarian activities in Soviet Russia and Ukraine during the famine of 1921–1923 and the participation of the people of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. It is well known that during the famine of 1921–1923, a large number of foreign aid organizations functioned in Russia and Ukraine and provided food, treatment and clothing to several million starving children who were doomed to death without outside help. Some of these organizations opened orphanages on the territory of the RSFSR for homeless children and children left without parental care. Many of those men and women who went to war in 1941–1945 were saved during the famine by foreign organizations. Thanks to modern databases of digitized documents on the Great Patriotic War, it becomes possible to trace the military fate of these people. The paper, based on the materials of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the National Archive of Sweden, provides specific examples of the fate of participants in the Great Patriotic War, who were saved in 1922–1923 by the Red Cross organizations of Sweden and the Netherlands.

The paper deals with the spread of forest fires and measures to combat them in the course of implementing the policy of preserving the forests of the Volga region in the years of the pre-war five-year plans. The paper is written mainly on the basis of archival materials of the Russian State Archive of Economics, the Central State Archive of the Samara Region, and the State Archive of the Ulyanovsk Region, which were first introduced into historical circulation. In the 1930s, large-scale logging was carried out in the Kuibyshev Region in violation of the rules of forestry. One of the problems of forest exploitation was the growth of forest fires, which caused significant economic and environmental damage. The forest industry trust «Sredles» and the Srednevolzhsky Forestry Trust could not significantly change the situation with the fire protection of forests for the better. The most unfavorable years for the forests of the Middle Volga region and the Kuibyshev Region were 1933 and 1938. After the creation of the Srednevolzhsky (Kuibyshev) Forest Protection Department, the effectiveness of fire-fighting measures increased. Fire fighting was carried out by the most modern means at that time. As a result, the annual number of fires decreased. But it was not possible to completely solve the problem of fires in the forests of the Middle Volga during the third five-year plan.

The paper examines the confrontation between the army, which supported the inviolability of the principles of a secular state, and the supporters of the Islamic way of development. The authors provide a short course on the history of the military coups of 1960, 1971 and 1980. Based on the analysis of actions and public statements of the event participants themselves, researchers come to a conclusion that the fight against clerical tendencies played a role in the preparation of military coups no less than the fight against left radicals. The 1970s in the history of Turkey is an extremely unstable political period when weak coalition governments were in power. Aggravated by the end of the 1970s party contradictions gave the military a pretext for another coup, which led to the fall of the Second and the formation of the Third Republic in the political history of Turkey. By the end of the 20^th century Islamic proponents, having accumulated vast experience of confrontation with the army elite, had developed a new political strategy, becoming the locomotive of the struggle for democratic changes, which allowed them to win elections in 1996 and then in 2002. Having finally taken power in the country, the Islamic Justice and Development Party began largescale reforms of the army, which are still ongoing.

The paper deals with the research results of reading preferences among the residents of Ural nuclear closed administrative-territorial formations in the 1990s. At that time sociocultural transformations, which modified the architectonics of the cultural landscape, significantly changed reading practices. In this regard, the study of such a small fragment of reality as reading preferences of small societies in closed towns seems to be very important for understanding the dynamics of social phenomena and processes. While studying the reading preferences, the author revealed reading value orientations among the residents of Ural closed administrative-territorial formations, their assessment of reading activity, psychological factors of reading, quantitative characteristics, gender and age peculiarities. In the era of changes, reading continued to occupy one of the leading places in the structure of leisure preferences among the residents of Ural nuclear towns and remained the most important way of raising the cultural and educational level. Home and public libraries were the main channels for obtaining information through reading. The universal library fund made it possible to satisfy various information needs of users. At the same time, in order to effectively stimulate reading activity, it was important for libraries not only to provide high-quality services, but also to accumulate relevant socio-cultural practices in their activities.

The paper focuses on contemporary religious practices of the Orthodox Chuvash living in the Trans-Volga areas of the Samara Region. The author describes features of the ritual calendar, funeral and memorial customs and rituals, forms of social activity of the Chuvash within the framework of religious life; reveals the ratio of Orthodox and the so-called «pagan» elements in religious practices; traces the process of formation of Orthodox-»pagan» syncretism as the basis of contemporary religiosity of the Samara Chuvash. The results of the study showed their noticeable shift towards Orthodox religiosity in the last two decades. Orthodoxy acts as the basis of the confessional identity of the Samara Chuvash and today it determines activity in the formation of the sacred landscape of Chuvash villages. Orthodoxy is at the heart of festive and ceremonial culture, religious actions and experience. However, in contemporary religious practices, especially in funeral, memorial and calendar rituality, rituals and behavioral models that go back to the Chuvash religion are manifested. At the same time, there is a high degree of syncretization of Orthodox and Chuvash folk traditions, due to the long history of their coexistence in the culture of the rural community. Local churches and involvement of villagers in the confessional environment both at the local, regional and national levels play a significant role in the formation and development of religious practices.